Liza Jackson Park — Attraction in Fort Walton Beach

PLEASE monitor off leash rules. We enjoyed what this park offers IF rules were followed. We drove 45 minutes to this location since it's the only beach area that's dog friendly close to where we are staying. We are vacationing from Georgia, so the beach is not near us in our state. We brought 2/3 dogs with us and kept them on leash as the signs say. We felt that this was a good idea because we promised ourselves to let the dogs have a beach experience. They had fun, but the fact people can have off leash dogs really escalated our feelings to leave because our dogs weren't comfortable with that. The first dog owner was super nice, but did not put his dog on a leash when we came down. This dog was respectful to give our dog space though. When my dog was uncomfortable we tried distancing to calm any tension that he may have felt with a dog running around while he is unable to because of the leash. When we were slowly getting ready to leave and another dog was off leash (all of this at the unfenced beach area) and this second off leash dog was NOT able to be called by the owner. It got in my dogs face a couple times to smell him, but we left because we ultimately accomplished our goal of giving the dogs a chance at a beach area. The uneasy feeling of others not following rules was sad because if they were on leash I could've been able to slowly introduce our pups and this would've been hopefully not as upsetting of a trip that we drove 45 minutes to have less than 10 minutes of enjoyment. This ultimately was an awesome option if your dogs are ok with random dogs running up and you're ok with unknown dogs off leash. We unfortunately didnt anticipate this to be an issue since most dog parks have someone to monitor. This park shouldn't have a leashing rule if it's not followed NOR enforced. It ruins the accessibility for others. There are two different fenced in areas that I believe it is acceptable to have them off leash, but for the unfenced area it would be best to keep on a leash for...

The backdrop of this park is just magnificent. You can see straight across the water to Okaloosa Island. It’s so peaceful.

Most of the dock and fishing piers were destroyed in Hurricane Sally which at this point was about 9 months ago and still hasn’t been replaced.

The playground equipment has recently been updated and is pretty good, however there are already some broken swings and badly rusted chains and equipment.

Homelessness has always been a huge issue at this park and the park about two miles away at the landing. Every pavilion is usually occupied by the homeless and their belongings.

Overall we stop by here often. There is a short walking path with a cute little bridge which makes it a lovely spot to go and adore a sunset while having a relaxing walk before winding down for the evening.

This park has potential. If it was any other town I’d give it three or two stars but honestly fort Walton beach I hold to a lower standard even though it has a special place...

My intentions were to do some Redfishing/trout from the pier. I was able to make several unproductive casts, and then a squal line came down "The SR SOUND. I took refuge under the very large gazebo to wait it out. Met some fellow fishermen who came to the launch to also "wait out" the storm. Mr. Jeff, an SRCS Sergeant, and his father/in-law. We were chatting it up during the "deluge" comparing fishing stories etc. SUPER Nice guys!

AND THEN noticed vagrants and not very friendly people that apparently take fefuge (frequently) in LJP. Somewhat combative and quick to yell, voice opinions, and be, uhm, less than socially acceptable.

Please take heed, and be careful/mindful of these individuals. They are adults and humans, yes. However, they presented themselves as a "Use caution if interacting" vibe, prompting me to keep them in my peripheral, with a need for situational awareness. Was...