Magistrate gives Niceville homeowner 30 days to stabilize soil after runoff clogged county park court

Hayward Dykes, the special magistrate presiding over Walton County’s May 14 code compliance hearings, found that the property at 147 Nimrod Circle in Niceville violated Walton County Land Development Code provisions governing development approvals after storm runoff carried fill onto an adjacent county park.

Georgina Hicks, a Walton County code compliance officer, presented the county’s findings and timeline. She said her initial inspection found “a newly built house that did not have vegetation planted around the house, and the field was washing out, creating gullies, and pushing dirt onto the basketball court” at the pocket park. Hicks told the magistrate that silt fencing had been installed by May 6 and that the property was being prepped for sod.

The magistrate noted that a stop-work order had been issued earlier when a retaining wall was found without permit; Hicks said the unpermitted work was removed and the stop-work order lifted after the owner removed rebar and other construction elements. Hicks recommended — and the magistrate ordered — that the owner be given 30 days to install vegetation and maintain best-management practices and silt fencing until the ground is stabilized.

Dykes said that if the property is not brought into compliance on or before June 13, the owner will face a $100-per-day fine and a $112 administrative fee. He also explained that the administrative fee is due within 30 days regardless of whether compliance is achieved.

The magistrate’s order formalizes staff’s recommendation and requires the property owner to complete and maintain erosion-control measures by the deadline or face daily fines.

The record shows the county issued notices and re-inspections beginning in April 2025 and posted a hearing notice as required by code.