Escambia, Santa Rosa petition for fee simple title
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News pam@gulfbreezenews.com

Santa Rosa County would like to get the issue of who really owns and supervises Navarre Beach settled once and for all.

County commissioners say they also want to offer an actual title for property to the residents and businesses that buy homes and buildings on Navarre Beach.

Escambia County wants to offer the same to businesses and residents on Pensacola Beach.

So both counties are joining to formulate a resolution to ask the federal government to deed the counties their own beaches and allow fee simple title to property owners.

They hope to have a resolution in the hands of U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller by early fall.

But not everybody is thrilled about the prospect of changing from leases to titles on the beaches.

"We are going to take away public areas and make them private if you give title to the land to some of these corporations," Dr. Thomas Campanella, Chairman of Santa Rosa Island Authority on Pensacola Beach, said to a joint meeting of the Santa Rosa and Escambia County commissions.

"Okaloosa County is facing that now. They gave title to the land to people years ago, and now some of the corporations who have built on the beach are telling people, 'This is our land, not yours. You cannot cross or walk on our beach.'

"Our beach is a beautiful natural resource out there. We have some leaseholders fighting in court right now against the county in the tax lawsuits. I think those suits should be settled before we pursue this kind of thing."

Leaseholder James Cox of Pensacola Beach told commissioners the same thing.

"You may be a little presumptive here in dealing with Pensacola Beach," Cox said. "You know, over 700 people in Portofino alone are suing the county right now as part of the 2,300 Pensacola Beach residents suing to say they don't want fee simple title out there. We need to wait until all that is settled before you just ask for fee simple title, without even talking to the people out there."

Santa Rosa Commission attorney Tom Dannheisser said it would take at least two to three years to get such a resolution through the federal government for any approval, if it was successful at all.

"As I understand it, this resolution would simply convey title of Navarre Beach to Santa Rosa County and title of Pensacola Beach to Escambia County," Santa Rosa Commissioner Don Salter said. "And it would be voluntary for the people and corporations owning property on the beach. So they could still keep their leases if they wanted to, but they could get fee simple title ownership to their land if they wanted it.

"So unless there is something else in it I do not know about, I am for it."

The county attorney assured commissioners that it would be voluntary for leaseholders to participate in gaining fee simple title to their property, or they could indeed keep their lease program.

Campanella reminded the commissioners that the Island Authority had been established to oversee both beaches.

"A third of the income to Pensacola City comes from Pensacola Beach," Campanella said. "Santa Rosa Island encompasses both Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach. Escambia County is really the master leaseholder of Navarre Beach, under the supervision of the real master leaseholder, the federal government."

The federal government holds the 99-year leases to all property on both Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach. But in 1947, the federal government gave Escambia County the authority and responsibility to oversee both ends of the island.

Until the mid-1990's, anyone living or operating a business on Navarre Beach answered only to Escambia County. Children were required to attend Pensacola schools, even though many would find ways to attend the closer Navarre schools.

The Navarre Beach Fire Department was manned by people living on the beach and got much financial and physical support from Santa Rosa County but was technically part of the Escambia County fire network.

In the mid-90's, Santa Rosa County commissioners finally got approval of the state and federal authorities to have a sub-lease under Escambia County to oversee Navarre Beach, technically making it part of Santa Rosa County. But leaseholders still pay some of their lease fees to Escambia County and some to Santa Rosa County.

Santa Rosa Commission Chair John Broxson of Gulf Breeze said it is easy to see the benefits to Santa Rosa County of fee simple title to the Navarre Beach property.

"The land out there would be finally deeded to Santa Rosa County, and anyone who wanted a fee simple title out there could get one," Broxson said. "It would end a lot of confusion and layers of government involvement."

Escambia County Commission Chair Mike Whitehead said, "The lack of ability to actually own property on Pensacola Beach has foreclosed many large corporations from developing out there, so they have located to other parts of the state. This was something accomplished 30 years ago on Okaloosa Island, and it is voluntary there. We have a cumbersome mechanism right now for leaseholders and for the county taxing authorities.

"We are about four to five years behind Santa Rosa County in our taxation issues on Pensacola Beach and are in court right now trying to follow that lead. This would only be a first step to asking the federal government to help us make it simple."

Of the 10 commissioners, two - Grover Robinson and Kevin White of the Escambia Commission - voted against moving ahead with a resolution.

Robinson represents Pensacola Beach. He said he does not believe leaseholders there are ready for this step and thinks the commissions are "getting ahead of themselves" since they have not asked the leaseholders how they feel about fee simple title ownership.

The joint commissions instructed their attorneys to start formulating a resolution, and set another meeting within 90-120 days with hopes of having Miller or a representative attend. What do you think?

Gulf Breeze News would like to know what you think about the prospect of fee simple title ownership to property at Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. Send email comments of 200 words or less to: joe@gulfbreezenews. com. Letters to the editor (e-mail and regular mail) must be signed and include a phone number for verification.

Commissions want federal government to deed local beaches, allow fee simple title ownership.