WE ARE
Dave Rauschkolb [ CHAIRMAN ]
A Gulf Front business owner, Dave has lived in South Walton since 1986. Dave owns 3 restaurants in Seaside and a bakery/cafe in Grayton Beach. His flagship restaurant, Bud & Alley’s is the longest established restaurant in South Walton County—on the beach in Seaside.
Dave has been a passionate advocate for the Walton County community for 33 years, active in community affairs in the following leadership roles: Seaside Merchants Advisory Board, Seaside Institute, co-founder/board member of The Scenic 30-A Business Association, Board of The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association/Northwest FL Chapter, Founder of the 30A Scenic Pride Initiative, Founder of Hands Across the Sand. Board Member and founder of A Better South Walton and board member of the Seaside School.
In 2010 Dave founded and directed a state-wide initiative called Hands Across The Sand to discourage the expansion of oil drilling in Florida’s waters. On February 13th, 2010 Dave’s initiative organized 10,000 Floridians join hands for 15 minutes on 80 Florida beaches to influence the Florida Legislature to abandon a Bill to allow for offshore drilling in Florida’s waters. Two months later in April, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf. Soon after the disaster Dave led a National and Worldwide Hands Across The Sand event held in all 50 US States and 48 countries across the world.
Dave strongly believes sharing the beaches we hold dear in South Walton and all of Florida is critical to the well-being of citizens, visitors and economic interests.
Florida Beaches for All is a non-profit 501(c)4 founded August 13, 2018, by a group of concerned citizens regarding the use of the dry sandy beaches in Walton County, Florida.
We are an unpaid volunteer Board comprised of residents and property owners who are
deeply passionate about our Walton County community. We work tirelessly to ensure
that our beaches—from the dune line to the water line—are 100% accessible to all. Our local
economy and quality of life for our families depends on free and open beaches for all.
pete foley [ secretary + Vice-Chair ]
Pete is President of a business consultancy focusing on communication strategy and business writing; including executive speeches and ghost-blogging, web copy, video scripting, ad copy, media releases, etc. He had an extended career as an award-winning Creative Director/Senior Producer at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta where he wrote and produced hundreds of programs across America and in 31 countries.
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Pete has vacationed in South Walton for three decades and has been a property owner for more than 20 years. As a child growing up in Coastal New England, he was accustomed to free use of beaches and is a strong proponent of the doctrine of Customary Use.
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Pete splits time between Atlanta and Santa Rosa Beach with his wife, Sharon. He has four children and six grandchildren, and enjoys UGA football, Jimmy Buffett music, and all things coastal.
shari vermeulen [ board member ]
Shari is an accomplished strategic communications and events professional with a diverse background in stewardship and fundraising.
Shari leverages her business acumen and passion for the culinary arts as an independent private event planner. She holds a Certificate in Professional Baking and Pastry from New England Culinary Institute, even completing a four-month stage with pastry chef Eric Bedoucha at Financier Patisserie in New York City.
Her previous professional experience includes managing high-quality and high-volume programs in communications, marketing and events at both boutique and globally recognized corporations and philanthropies. She has honed her craft in events management, food & wine tastings, and media relations.
Shari graduated cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Political Science and studied abroad at L’Universite de Paris.
samantha herring [ board member ]
Samantha Herring is a Florida resident, small business owner and Public Insurance Adjuster. She's spent her adult life advocating for community issues that truly matter., accumulating decades of experience in developing “cradle to grave” advocacy campaigns, strategic planning, development, and related consultancy work.
Samantha has dedicated her focus and recent work on organizing and developing tools and resources for groups working to protect Florida’s precious environment. Her passion and statewide focus on public policy, research, outreach, and organizational support is focused on protecting and preserving Florida’s public beaches, regardless of how the public realizes that use.
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