Scott misses protesters at Santa Rosa Beach Donut Hole, appears later at Inlet Beach location

SANTA ROSA BEACH — Gov. Rick Scott did make it to a Walton County Donut Hole on Sunday, but it just wasn't the one people expected.

Scott, who is campaigning to unseat incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson this fall, was scheduled to appear at the restaurant's Santa Rosa Beach location. Instead, he made a short stop at the Inlet Beach venue.

"It wasn't very long, maybe 20 minutes," Vicki Carrera, floor manager, said.

Carrera said she was super busy and didn't hear what the governor had to say while he was there.

Meanwhile, back in Santa Rosa Beach, where local Republican officials had promised Scott would be around noon, most of the nearly 30 people outside the business were there to protest HB 631.

People from Scott's campaign were also at the Santa Rosa location, though they weren't taking questions from the media.

HB 631, which Scott signed into law in March, has become highly controversial in Walton County. Since it went into effect July 1, private beach-property owners have been feuding with beachgoers over who has access to the white-sand portions of the beaches.

Some of the people who showed up to the Santa Rosa Beach site, like Pete Foley, a Santa Rosa Beach homeowner, were outraged at HB 631 and the governor's lack of response to it. Foley also handed out affidavits opposing the new law for visitors to fill out. A total of 10 were completed, according to protestors.

"I think (HB 631) is a travesty," Foley said. "People have been coming to these beaches for years."

However, not everyone was there to protest. Some, like Charlotte Flynt, Walton County's elected Republican state committee woman, was at the Santa Rosa Beach Donut Hole to support the governor and HB 631.

As of Monday, multiple email messages sent to Scott's campaign staff had not been returned.

Many of the protestors who came to the Donut Hole in Santa Rosa beach thought that Scott had deliberately avoided showing up so he wouldn't have to hear their complaints.

“A bunch of old ladies in T-shirts scared away the governor of Florida,” said Lynn Nesmith, a Santa Rosa Beach resident. “We love the beach and will do anything to keep it open to all.”

While Scott was missing from his expected stop in Walton County, he made a campaign stop in Panama City Beach later in the day, according to Scott's Facebook page. Mark Franks, chairman of the Okaloosa County Republican Executive Committee, said he was unsure why Scott canceled his originally scheduled visit.

Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin contributed to this report.