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.