Photo Courtesy: Savannah Vasquez Walton and Okaloosa County Announce Beach Reopening, May 1 Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Boards of County Commissioners both announced this week steps to reopen local Destin beaches, May 1st. Gulf-front public and private beaches in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Destin have been closed since March to encourage social distancing and flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak. Both Okaloosa and Walton counties reached their decision to reopen unanimously. And both counties will resume normal beach hours with some restrictions, remaining open from dawn until dusk.