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About Miramar Beach, FL

About Miramar Beach, FL

Bustling beach community on the Emerald Coast

Miramar Beach is a diverse waterfront community of 16,000 nestled between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. White sand beaches and turquoise waters pair with boutiques, antique shops and upscale outlet stores while golf courses and resorts offer luxury amenities. Miramar Beach is an integral part of Walton County’s tourist economy, but it also features popular residential areas such as Sandestin, which combines the attractions of larger surrounding destinations. “Sandestin is like a combination of Destin and Santa Rosa Beach and has great shopping and dining,” says Alberta Baeza, a broker associate at RE/MAX Gulf Coast Realty. “It’s like Disney World for adults.”

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Miramar Beach, in South Walton, Florida, offers family fun, and upscale experiences.
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Sandestin in Miramar Beach entices golf enthusiasts with golf course front living.
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The beachfront, Choctawhatchee Bay offer plenty of outdoor fun

The beach forms the community's southern border and stretches for miles in either direction on the Emerald Coast. Snorkelers can get an up-close look at marine life at Dolphin Reef, one of the near-shore reefs created by the South Walton Artificial Reef Association. Scenic Gulf Drive, known to locals as “Old 98,” is an original beach cruising spot that buzzes with the activity of tourists and locals alike. Choctawhatchee Bay is a popular fishing spot that can be accessed by boat and smaller watercraft. Florida's most popular sport is well-represented, with several golf clubs located in and around the community.

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Miramar Beach offers a man-made reef in the shape of a dolphin for snorkelers to enjoy.
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Miramar Beach is one of the cities located around Choctawhatchee Bay in the Florida Panhandle.
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Waterfront and golf course properties are prominent

Many residences in Miramar Beach are used as second homes and short-term rentals, but plenty of people who discover the community tend to put down roots. “A lot more people live there full-time,” says Gabby Hamilton, director of operations for the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. The majority of listings are condominiums with a range of price points depending on size and location. Contemporary townhouses can also be found, typically featuring driveways and attached garages. Single-family options range from a variety of contemporary homes in neighborhood settings to multimillion-dollar estate homes along the waterfront. The median sales price is about $750,000, which is much more affordable than similar communities nearby. For instance, the median in Santa Rosa Beach's Grayton Beach is more than $2 million, and it's nearly $3.5 million in the 30A community of WaterColor. Like any coastal destination, Miramar Beach is at risk for severe weather, a reality reflected in insurance prices. “We’ve had our share of hurricanes, but we have ample time to evacuate,” Baeza says. “Anything built after 2003 has to follow a universal code to withstand storms and bad weather.”

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Large single family multi-million dollar homes line the shorelines of Miramar Beach.
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Contemporary beach style homes are a popular choice in Miramar Beach.
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Grand Boulevard, Smith's Antiques Mall among diverse shopping and dining options

Grand Boulevard highlights the community’s many commercial options. The popular gathering spot features upscale shops, an array of restaurants and a park. “There’s awesome fine dining at Fleming’s, and Cantina Laredo has great tacos,” Baeza says. “Grand Boulevard also has a lot of events, like an art festival and a year-round weekly farmers market.” The shopping center also includes a Publix. More retail and dining options are concentrated along U.S. Highway 98 and Scenic Gulf Drive. The latter features a collection of popular waterfront restaurants. Miramar Beach is also home to Smith’s Antiques Mall, which has more than 50 vendors in a 25,000-square-foot building.

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Enjoy upscale shopping at it's finest on the Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach.
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Flemming's is a high-end steakhouse with aged prime beef & classics such as lobster tails.
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Top schools in Walton County School District

The Walton County School District earns an A-minus from Niche while being ranked the ninth-best district in the state. All five schools in south Walton County are rated A-minus.

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Miramar Beach students can attend the above average Destin Elementary School.
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Destin High School prepares students in Miramar Beach to be well-rounded citizens.
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Bikes are convenient when U.S. Route 98 is packed during tourist season

The community offers limited public transportation, so bikes and golf carts are popular ways to get around, especially when U.S. Route 98, which connects directly west to neighboring Destin, is under construction or filled with traffic during tourist season. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast is a critical care hospital in the community. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is a 25-mile drive. Crime statistics for Miramar Beach are not readily available.

Matt Pallister
Written By
Matt Pallister
Gabrielle Mazur
Photography Contributed By
Gabrielle Mazur
Joan Wall
Video By
Joan Wall

Miramar Beach by the Numbers

16,272
Population
92
Average Days on Market

Average Home Value



Source: Public Records

Top Schools in Miramar Beach, FL

Source:

Best Public Elementary Schools

Destin Elementary School
#1 Destin Elementary School
A-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
Van R. Butler Elementary School
#2 Van R. Butler Elementary School
A-
Niche
7
GreatSchools

Best Public Middle Schools

Destin Middle School
#1 Destin Middle School
A-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
Emerald Coast Middle School
#2 Emerald Coast Middle School
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools

Best Public High Schools

South Walton High School
#1 South Walton High School
A-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
Fort Walton Beach High School
#2 Fort Walton Beach High School
A
Niche
5
GreatSchools

Best Private Schools

Gateway Academy
#1 Gateway Academy
SOUTH WALTON ACADEMY
#2 SOUTH WALTON ACADEMY

Agents Specializing in this Area

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Agent Spotlight

Jabbour Luxury Group
(850) 468-3979
The Jabbour Luxury Group has its origins in Gayle Adams, an original homeowner in Rosemary Beach in 1996 at the beginning, and in Richard Jabbour, who came to Gulf Place in 2011. Through a common shared passion for creating great homes for making family memories, they met in 2014 and, in 2015, began working together to create their first home as a team. The rest is history, with them now having lived in all areas of 30A as owners of many fine homes and now settled in Seaside, Florida, where we have been and are from time to time the #1 agent team in that community. They Live, Work and Play in their latest creation, their family home, completed in 2021 on Tupelo Street, where Seaside started. They have helped friends to create more than 22 homes in the last 4 years.
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.