Frequently Asked Questions

If you are planning a few minor changes to your yard, make sure the plants being planted are a part of the approved native plant palette for WaterColor. All non-native plants must be kept in above ground contained planters. You can see a list of approved plants on the community website in the Design Review section of the Resource Center. If you are making any major changes, you need to have it reviewed by the Design Review Board. If you are unsure if it's a minor or major change, you can always contact Design Review Coordinator Andrew Fromknecht by email.

If it's a small plant or tree, yes; but before doing any major landscaping work, please contact the Director of Operations Lance Anderson by email.

Any modifications to the exterior of any structure/lot must be submitted to the Design Review Board for approval. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Garages
• Any type of outbuilding
• Decks
• Terraces
• Patios
• Courtyards
• Walks
• Driveways
• Parking areas
• Swimming pools
• Greenhouses
• Walls
• Fences
• Exterior lighting
• Exterior color changes of any exterior surface
• Landscaping
• Cut and fill operations
• Drainage
• Removal of any existing vegetation

For questions about submitting, contact Design Review Board Coordinator Andrew Fromknecht by email.

The common areas are maintained by the Homeowner's Association (HOA). The HOA contracts with Brightview Landscaping, which assists with the general landscaping, natural area and trail maintenance, as well as plants the seasonal blooms found in WaterColor's parks.

WaterColor refreshes pine straw throughout property twice a year. The first is just prior to the spring season, and the second is in early October before the fall season.

A coastal dune lake is a rare ecosystem that only occurs in only a few places around the world. Northwest Florida is home to 15 of these rare lakes that can both fresh and saltwater as they exchange with the Gulf of Mexico. It is the largest concentration of dune lakes in the world, and the lakes are strictly protected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. WaterColor surrounds the largest coastal dune lake in Walton County, Western Lake. There is a 300-foot protection zone around the lake that prohibits any disturbance to the area.

The Florida Forestry Service conducts controlled burns in the adjacent state forest. This clears out dead plant material, allowing for fresh growth and thereby reducing the chance of wildfires. During the winter months, WaterColor undertakes similar measures to prevent wildfires by clearing out dead vegetation and allowing fresh growth. Contractors use equipment to clear the dead vegetation in native areas that may be near your home. Fresh foliage grows back by the spring/summer seasons. Visit the Land Management Requirements page for additional information.

Security is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone or text at 850-685-6362.

Contact security if you see suspicious activity or have a complaint regarding loud noise, loitering, or any violation of neighborhood rules.

If a crime or emergency is taking place, call 911. If a crime has occurred, such as a theft, contact both WaterColor Security and the Walton County Sheriff's Office to file an official crime report. The Walton County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 850-892-8111, and WaterColor Security can be reached at 850-685-6362.

If you receive a Tire Tag on your vehicle, follow the instructions printed on the decal to remit payment of the service fee. Once payment is remitted, a code will be provided to disengage the tag. The Tire Tag device must be returned to one of the Tire Tag deposit boxes located on the property to avoid additional service charges. The Tire Tag deposit boxes are located at the HOA Office, Camp WaterColor mail kiosk, outside of the Beach Club, and at the Tennis Center.

To dispute a Tire Tag or citation, please contact WaterColor's Security Director via email at curtis.moore@pacem-solutions.com.

Community quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., in accordance with the Walton County Noise Ordinance. Any outdoor and exterior noise during the community's quiet hours is prohibited. We kindly request that you refrain from disturbing your neighbors.

Children under 18 years of age are not permitted in community common areas (including the beach) between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless under the direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian. 

The curfew for unaccompanied minors is subject to change during peak periods and certain holidays at the discretion of the security director. 

Learn more about WaterColor's curfew here.

You can request homeowner wristbands for yourself and immediate family members by completing the Wristband Request Form. All individuals 5 years of age and older are required to wear a wristband to enter the amenities.

The maximum number of wristbands you can request is equal to the occupancy of your home. Your occupancy is calculated at two wristbands per Design Review Board-approved bedroom, plus four. For example, if you have a four-bedroom home, your maximum occupancy is 12. Through the Annual Owner Certification, an owner may select a Maximum Certified Occupancy, which establishes a maximum number of wristbands for their property.

A homeowner can bring up to two guests into the amenities with their wristband.

Immediate family members who can receive a homeowner wristband include the owner, the owner's children, including their sons or daughters in-law; an owner's siblings; and an owner's parents, grandparents and grandchildren. Individuals 5 years and older are required to have a wristband to enter into the amenities.

Homeowner wristbands are active as long as you own the property.

Homeowner cards may be requested here. Homeowner cards are used to claim discounted homeowner beach chairs or discounts at participating WaterColor retailers. Refer to the Homeowner Discount section of the latest WaterColor Weekly to find out which retailers offer discounts. 

To scan an amenity wristband, place the wristband near the "PDK" logo on the bottom of the reader located at the entrance of the amenity or secure access point. The PDK device will read your wristband via an RFID sensor.

Due to the high volume of wristband requests received each week, we ask that requests be picked up in person at the HOA office.

If a homeowner loses their wristband, it will be replaced once free of charge. After that, lost, stolen, or misplaced wristbands will be replaced at a fee of $10. We recommend keeping a record of the numbers on your wristbands so we can identify the lost band and deactivate it.

When completing the wristband request form, select the date you would like to pick up your wristbands. Owners may pick up amenity wristbands from the HOA Office during regular business hours or at Camp WaterColor on the weekend. Please allow at least two days for processing your request. 

Owner wristbands are for use by the owner and their family members only. Owners may request guest wristbands or unaccompanied guest wristbands from the HOA.  These wristbands should never be used for rental guests. An owner's access to amenities may be suspended for violating this or any other restriction outlined in the Access and Guest Fee Policy.

Guest wristbands are free to homeowners for accompanied guests. The homeowner must personally come to our office to pick up their guests wristbands. Requests for wristbands can be made through the community website.

Complete an Unaccompanied Guest Wristband request form to request this type of wristband for unaccompanied guests staying in your home. For more information, visit the Owner's Guest Wristband page.

WaterColor is a master-planned beach community located in Walton County along Northwest Florida’s scenic Highway 30A. The 499-acre property was established in 1999 by The St. Joe Company, a developer. In 2013, the development was turned over from developer control to the HOA.

Learn more about the history of WaterColor! Cooper Robertson, an award-winning architectural and design firm, prepared a historical overview of WaterColor's development for the 2023 Annual Owners meeting. You can view a copy of the presentation here.

CCMC provides professional community management services to the WaterColor Community. Since 1973, CCMC has managed large-scale communities across the United States. Our team members’ commitment to excellence and willingness to innovate are achieved through our core values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Community. 

At CCMC, our vision is to revolutionize large-scale community management by inspiring meaningful experiences for residents and team members. We build community by bringing people together in the neighborhoods where they live and offices where we work. Simply put, we create experiences that connect people. 

Partnership and communication are key components of achieving our mission and purpose. We encourage residents to share their experiences on where we’re excelling and how we can improve. To learn more, visit CCMCnet.com.

A five-member Board of Directors governs WaterColor. Each Director serves a two-year term. Each year, the association hosts an annual homeowners meeting where director positions are elected. 

Board meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month in the Camp WaterColor conference room, located at 205 Spartina Circle. On occasion, meetings are rescheduled due to holidays, other unforeseen scheduling conflicts, or urgent Board matters. Owners may attend the open session Board Meetings via zoom. For the most up-to-date meeting information, check the community calendar or the footer of your most recent WaterColor Weekly newsletter.

Currently, WaterColor has approximately 1,021 completed homes, which includes the 117 multi-family units in Town Center. At full build-out, the community will have 1,063 homes on the property.

The St.Joe Company owns and operates the WaterColor Inn and LakeHouse. St.Joe owns and leases all the commercial spaces, including the BoatHouse. St.Joe is contracted to manage food and beverage service at the WaterColor Beach Club and Camp WaterColor including the WaterColor Grill, Costa Chica, Tiki Bar, Beach Cow, and The Canteen. They are also contracted to manage Beach Services, including beach chair rentals and beach bonfires. For more on their beach services, visit the WaterColor Resort website.

Parking is permitted in private driveways, parallel parking pads, and marked parking spaces throughout the WaterColor property. Parking is prohibited on the street, in pine straw, on sidewalks, or pathways. Homeowners should always display their Homeowner Parking Credentials in their vehicles. 

Please consider parking on your private property before occupying common areas and parallel parking spaces.

Boats and RVs are not allowed to be parked in the community. There are a few storage facilities located nearby that may be able to accommodate boats or RVs.

Outback Mini Storage
671 S. Church Street
Santa Rosa Beach
850-267-2194
RV’s & Boats Only (please call in advance)

A1 Storage of South Walton
322 Lynn Drive
Santa Rosa Beach
Vehicles, RV’s and Boats accepted
850-622-0746

Southern Self Storage
Grayton Beach
230 Grayton Village Rd.
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
850-307-5567

The WiFi password at all community pools and the beach is Watercolor2017.

WaterColor is home to 10 community pools, including three at the Beach Club and three at Camp WaterColor (including the lazy river). WaterColor also has five clay tennis courts, two pickleball courts, a bocce ball court, a half basketball court, a soccer field, and a playground. It features five miles of hiking and biking trails, four piers and a dock on Western Lake, five park areas, an outdoor amphitheater, and gardens. Homeowner-only beach access is available via the Van Ness Beach Access.  Homeowners receive one hour of complimentary time on the tennis courts for singles play and one and a half hours for doubles play. The BoatHouse Paddle Club operates the BoatHouse on Western Lake and offers discounts to owners

There are a limited number of homeowner beach sets available. Homeowners are limited to two sets per WaterColor address and must be reserved a day in advance. By clicking on the “Homeowner Beach Sets” button on the homepage, you'll access the reservation page. Next-day reservations are open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. On the day of your reservation, you must check-in for your sets by 11 a.m. Sets are $25. Pricing increases to $40 per set around holidays. During the peak season (June and July) and holiday weekends, the sets go very quickly. You also have the option of reserving resort chairs, which can be reserved up to a year in advance at https://www.watercolorresort.com/beachsetups. Homeowners receive a discount of $15 off the daily rate for resort chairs. To have the discount applied, homeowners need to email reservations@stjoeclub.com.

The Electric Cart Company (ECC) is the exclusive cart operator for WaterColor. WaterColor limits the number of rental carts allowed on the property. Currently, ECC is permitted to rent up to 80 carts to guests and owners. Guests are encouraged to book a cart as soon as possible, especially in peak seasons. Any non-ECC carts found on the property are subject to towing. For more information about rental carts, visit our LSV Rental page.

You can book a court online at Court Reserve or by calling the Pro Shop at (850) 231-3015. Owners receive up to one hour of complimentary time on the courts for singles, and an hour and a half for doubles. The Pro Shop offers racquets, paddles, balls, and a ball machine for rental. 

The Electric Cart Company is the exclusive LSV operator and provider within WaterColor. Only one LSV (rental or homeowner provided) is allowed per property address in WaterColor. The Electric Cart Company is unable to rent LSVs to guests of Town Center condos since there is no infrastructure to charge these vehicles in the parking lots.

Any guest who operates an LSV should become familiar with the Walton County Low-Speed Vehicle Laws.

Visit the Electric Cart Company's Frequently Asked Questions for additional information about LSVs in WaterColor.

Trash is picked up daily by WaterColor's janitorial vendor. Alert the janitorial staff that your trash is ready for pick up by raising the blue flag on your trash crib. During the busy season, if compactors are filled, trash pickup will resume the next day at the point where their route left off. Learn about trash crib requirements here.

Submit a Maintenance Request Form to order a new flag for your trash crib.

Any modification to the exterior of any structure must be submitted to the Design Review Board for review. You’ll first need to select a registered architect and/or landscape architect. You can find the list of approved architects on the community website under Community Governance and Design Review Board. Architects not on the list must be approved by the Design Review Board. You can ask the architect to contact the coordinator for an application and instructions on the approval process. The selected architect must contact the coordinator to confirm they are using current Design Review forms. Next, you’ll want to schedule a pre-design meeting with the board. Email Design Review Coordinator Andrew Fromknecht or call at 850-231-2543.

Modifications include, but are not limited to garages, any type of outbuilding, decks, terraces, patios, courtyards, walkways, driveways, parking areas, swimming pools, greenhouses, walls, fences, exterior lighting, exterior color changes of any exterior surface, landscaping, cut and fill operations, drainage or removal of any existing vegetation.

Yes. All changes to the exterior of a home must go through the DRB. Even if you are repainting your home the same color, the DRB Coordinator should be contacted.

As a master-planned community, the property was developed with specific guidelines for the style and color of each neighborhood and street. These guidelines can be located in the Design Review section of the Resource Center on the community website. These guidelines include approved color palettes for each lot within the community. You can find the color palette for your lot on the community website. Any color changes must adhere to this palette. Homes must not be painted the same color as another home within two lots of your home.

No. Up-lighting is strictly prohibited. This is a requirement by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. If you have up-lighting, you could be subject to financial penalty from the state. The community is required to have a naturalist who inspects the property to make sure it is in line with the environmental requirements of its development.

No. Only work on the exterior of the home needs to go through the Design Review process. The exception to this is if the interior work impacts parking requirements. An example of this would be if you were adding a bedroom.

Work such as pressure washing, plumbing or landscaping can be done every day except Sundays and holidays. Designated hours for construction and maintenance are between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Yes, but there are architectural requirements that must be met. You must go through the Design Review Board Process and present architectural plans for approval. Existing conditions must be feasible for the project.

Fees associated with DRB go toward the payment of an independent architectural consultant, compliance officer and associated administrative fees.

Assessments are billed quarterly. Assessments are due January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 and payments are due no later than the end of that month. For more information about payment options, please view the assessment payment page.

If your payment is late, you’ll first receive a notification from CCMC and your account will be charged a late fee and interest fee.  If a payment is more than 60 days late, you will receive an intent to lien notice, and amenity access will be suspended until a payment is received per the community's Collection Policy.

The assessment includes HOA dues, cable and internet, and the special assessment for the Camp WaterColor and Beach Club expansion unless the special assessment was previously paid in full. Town Center and Beachside condo owners are managed by a separate company that bills their condo assessments separately.

You can set up online payment at www.ccmcnet.com/portal.

Yes, you can pay for a full year in advance. However, it is not recommended to pay beyond the current year in case assessments change.

Questions regarding assessments can be directed to our Administrative Coordinator Susie Thompson, who can be reached by email at sthompson@ccmcnet.com.

Homeowners passed the special assessment in July 2016 to fund the expansion of the WaterColor Beach Club and Camp WaterColor. The assessment is $330 per quarter until 2030. The special assessment started in January 2017. The balance of the assessment may be paid off at the closing of a home.

Basic cable and Internet are provided in your assessments through Mediacom. Any additional services outside of the bulk agreement must be set up by calling Mediacom at 888-845-6245. Be sure to provide your address and inform them you are part of the WaterColor bulk tenant account. If you need further assistance, you can call our office at 850-231-2541 or email tregan@ccmcnet.com. Phone service is available through Mediacom as well, but it is also available through CenturyLink who can be reached at 877-436-2277.

The bulk agreement includes:

1 HD cable box

1 Internet modem

1 digital terminal adaptor (DTA) or equivalent device per bedroom

Basic cable 

Sports and Information Digital Pak

HD Sports and Information

HBO

Fiber Cable Internet w/download speeds up to 200 Mbps

Wifi at all community pools and beach (Password:  Watercolor2017)

WaterColor has a Premier Customer Service line through Mediacom whose employees are trained to the specific needs at WaterColor. They can be reached at 1-888-845-6245.  Their hours are between 8AM - 9PM Monday through Friday and 8AM. – 8PM on Saturdays and Sundays. If you call outside of these hours, you will be forwarded to their regular business line, which does not handle bulk accounts and may be limited in the help they can provide.

Because cable is included in your assessments, if you move out, all cable and Internet equipment should stay with the home.

Electricity is provided through the Chelco Electric Service, which can be reached at 850-892-2111. If you have gas, gas can be turned on by calling Okaloosa County Gas at 850-729-4700.

Regional Utilities can be reached at 850-231-5114.

To activate your mailbox, contact Administrative Coordinator Kim Anderson at kanderson@ccmcnet.com.