The view of the water from Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar is serene and inviting. The grouper sandwich at the Santa Rosa Beach restaurant gets raves online.
A few, however, think the $32 price is too much.
Count Gov. Ron DeSantis among them.
The governor visited the restaurant on Tuesday, where he signed a measure into law related to beach access in Walton County.
As is his custom, he also riffed on many topics, including property taxes, a summertime elimination of the state sales tax on firearms and ammunition, which Florida communities still have lots of Democrats, and the Democratic primary for mayor in New York City.
And, he said, he saw the restaurant has a grouper sandwich.
“I know this is a great place to visit. I know there’s a lot of folks that come down and I’m looking at this sign, $32 for a grouper sandwich. Those are definitely getting those tourists to pony up,” DeSantis said. “I don’t know that I would pull the trigger on $32. I love grouper sandwiches. I don’t know if I can pull the trigger on $32.”
It wasn’t exactly in keeping with the Chamber of Commerce-style pitch DeSantis and other officials were espousing.
Alexis Lambert, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, for example: “Walton County’s beaches are some of the state’s greatest treasures. They protect our communities, support our wildlife, and boost our local economy. They welcome more than 5 million visitors each year who come to swim, fish, and spend time with friends and family. With white sugar sand and clear turquoise waters, it’s no surprise that people around the world come to enjoy these beaches.”
There was some laughter when DeSantis brought up the sandwich price, and he moved on to a lament he’s delivered before about the cost of fast food.
“You know, the inflation with food has just been amazing over the last however many years. It’s been unbelievable,” he said, adding that with three young children, “I can’t get through the drive-thru at McDonald’s without spending 40-50 bucks, it seems. … It used to be you could get it very cheap. Now it’s just it’s more and more and all these places you go through, you just look and it’s like all of a sudden. Something’s got to give on that because I mean that really is difficult for a lot of families to be able to afford.”
State Sen. Jay Trumbull, a Republican whose district includes Walton County, praised DeSantis — “you once again have shown up for Northwest Florida” — for signing the legislation he sponsored.
Senate Bill 1622 repeals a controversial 2018 law about the “customary use” of beaches that prompted complaints that Walton County property owners were preventing people from using beaches.
When the now-repealed law went into effect Trumbull said, “Overnight, people who had walked the same stretch of dry beach for generations were being told that they were trespassing. … I want my kids to enjoy that same opportunity to enjoy the sands, the sunset, and the freedom to walk the shores the way generations before us have been able to do.”
DeSantis suggested that when he decides which lawmakers’ projects get approved — and which get axed when he acts on the state budget in coming days — Trumbull would do well.
“He’s lucky that him and I have a good relationship,” DeSantis said.
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.