Keaton Beach is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

on the

Gulf coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

in the southern part of

Taylor County, Florida Taylor County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,796. Its county seat is Perry. The county hosts the annual Florida Forest Festival and ...

, United States. Keaton Beach is located south of the county seat of

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

History

According to local historians, Keaton Beach was named for Abb and Sam Keaton, two brothers who apparently first settled in the area and who are thought to be its original owners. It is believed that their family originally owned cotton farms in the area; however, their primary source of income gradually shifted as mullet fishing became one of the thriving industries in Taylor County. In the early 1900s, mullet were caught off the Florida coast and residents of south Georgia and north Florida would come to Keaton Beach to buy the fish, which were salted down for use during the winter. Thus mullet became a staple food of the regional diet. The real commercialization of the beach came when Captain W. Alston "Cap'n" Brown, who owned the turpentine works at Blue Springs Creek, became involved with the area in the early 1920s. The Keaton brothers were said to have worked with Brown, and he named the Beach in honor of them. Keaton Beach has had several primary owners throughout the years; however it has currently developed into a residential area with homes that are owned by individual families. Early on the community consisted of two houses, a pavilion, a sawmill, a church, a commissary, and several workers' houses along Blue Creek Spring. The pavilion was constructed by Captain Brown in the early 1900s, and was passed on to Walter Howard at a later date. By day it was used by Howard and his partner, Clarence Kelley, as a place to repair their mullet nets. However the pavilion soon became known as a non-commercial place for family and friends to meet in the evenings. One area resident was quoted in a local publication as having said, "The pavilion was a fun place to square dance at night." Later the pavilion was used primarily as a fish camp by day and as a dance hall and restaurant by night. The Stephens family purchased the property of Keaton Beach from Clarence Kelley of Madison County, Florida in 1946. In the 1940s the Stephens family frequently visited Keaton Beach as a weekend getaway. However, the Keaton Beach, Inc. company eventually bought a parcel of 337 acres of Taylor County beaches that included the Keaton Beach area from the Stephens family. The Keaton Beach restaurant, pavilion, and eight cottages were included in the deal. The land area included the frontage on the Gulf as well as Blue Creek.

Geography

Weather

Storm of the Century memorial plaque at Hodges Park

Keaton and the surrounding beaches were devastated on March 13, 1993, when the "No Name Storm" (also known as " The Storm of the Century") battered the beach without warning early Saturday morning. Several residents and visitors of neighboring Dekle Beach lost their lives that day.

Hurricane Idalia Hurricane Idalia was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that caused significant damage across parts of the southeastern United States, especially in North Florida, in late August 2023. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, thi ...

made landfall near Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m. on August 30, 2023.

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

swept through Keaton Beach on September 26, 2024. A day later, local officials estimated that 90% of homes in Keaton Beach were destroyed, marking a significant devastation of the community.

Current development

Keaton Beach is home to Taylor County's primary public beach area, which includes sandy beaches, a local pier and children's play area known as Hodges Park. Keaton is also home to the county's primary public boat ramp, which is owned and maintained by Taylor County and the Board of County Commissioners. Keaton Beach is also well known for being a premier summer scalloping destination as well as providing an abundance of fishing opportunities for Florida anglers.

References

{{Taylor County, Florida Geography of Taylor County, Florida Gulf Coast of the United States