Walton County, Florida – August 17, 2011 – 30A.com announced the launch of SouthWalton.com, a new website designed to help visitors learn more about the state parks, resorts, activities and beach communities of South Walton, Florida.

“SouthWalton.com will help us drive even more visitors to local businesses, charities and events,” said 30A.com’s Mike Ragsdale. “While certainly compatible with our 30A brand, SouthWalton.com targets a whole new audience.”

Ragsdale said that 30A’s daily features are created for locals and frequenters who are already familiar with South Walton, whereas SouthWalton.com appeals to first-time visitors.

Reaction from local business owners has been positive.

“30A.com’s always had a great voice and vibe, and I love SouthWalton.com for the same reason,” said Jeff Archer of YOLO Board, a Santa Rosa Beach-based company that’s featured in the current issue of Entrepreneur magazine. “It’s fresh and authentic, and it’s going to drive a lot of new traffic to local businesses.”

“I love seeing all of the different photographers on the website,” said Oli Petit of South Walton’s famous Red Bar. “It feels like a real community effort.”

Numerous professional photographers participated in the project, including Elizabeth Laird, Goode Green Photography, Jack Gardner, Jacqueline Ward, Jeff Rogers, Karen Roberts, Michael Granberry, Modus Photography, Ocean Jewel’s Images, Paul and Mecheal Johnson, Romona Robbins, Shelly Swanger and Steven Brooke among others.

“South Walton’s home to so many different communities and activities that it seemed very fitting to portray them through different eyes,” said Ragsdale. “We hope that other local photographers will want to become involved in the project once they see it.”

The website’s logo was designed by local artist Jake Meyer of I Will Design for Food.

“I wanted the logo to feel like part of the 30A family, but also to have its own personality,” said Meyer. Over 200 logo variations were tested, and the final design was determined based on thousands of comments on 30A’s Facebook page, which has over 63,000 fans. “I think fans ultimately steered us in a direction that’s playful and family-friendly, just like South Walton itself.”

“There’s really a lot of excitement about this project, and we’re about to introduce five new sponsors,” said Ragsdale. “30A and South Walton are two of the most well-known brands in the region, and we can’t wait to use their combined power to promote local businesses.”