FORT WALTON BEACH — The city's website lists the Bay Drive Water Access as a neighborhood park, set aside for the public to enjoy as a location for passive recreation.
What was at one time a more expansive recreational area now consists of a single park bench overlooking a small swath of white sand fronting Choctawhatchee Bay that's about as wide as the roadway whose name it shares.
Many who live in the affluent neighborhood near where Brooks Street and Bay Drive meet have a great affinity for the water access. They say it offers a perfect location to launch kayaks and paddle boards or simply to take in a sunset. Some recall days spent at the beach, which they say has been listed as a recreational area since 1945, with children and grandchildren.