Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the state’s $83 million acquisition of Destin waterfront property Wednesday, saying the purchase was directed by the Florida Legislature and supported by two independent appraisals.
- “This was not something we just dreamt up,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Tampa. “This was put in by the Florida Legislature in this year’s budget, and this was the priority above all the other projects that were there.”
The governor’s comments came after a reporter asked about criticism surrounding the Sept. 30 Cabinet vote to acquire approximately 4 acres adjacent to Norriego Point. Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia was the lone Cabinet member to express opposition to the purchase, though he ultimately voted to approve the bundled agenda item containing multiple land acquisitions.
DeSantis said two appraisals valued the property at approximately $82 million each, leaving little basis to challenge the purchase price.
- “It got appraised twice, basically within a million dollars of each other, and so I didn’t really feel like there was a basis to overrule that,” he said.
The governor also pointed to the property’s development potential, noting the sellers had planned to build luxury condominiums on the site.
“If you built a condo tower on that piece of land, you would make way more money doing that. No question,” DeSantis said. “You could sell the penthouse lots for $25 million a pop. Every single unit in there would probably go for two, three million dollars.”
Sen. Jay Trumbull championed the acquisition during the legislative session, securing funding through the state’s Florida Forever land conservation program. The property sits adjacent to the Gulf Islands National Seashore and shares its western boundary with the City of Destin’s Norriego Point Beach Access and Park.
- “Had they not directed it, would it have happened? Probably not,” DeSantis said of the Legislature’s role.
The sellers, Pointe Mezzanine, LLC and Pointe Resort, LLC, purchased the property in 2016 and 2017 for $7.9 million and completed significant infrastructure improvements including a marina, sea wall, road and parking construction, and utility connections.
Okaloosa County has pledged more than $5 million in direct investment and will manage the new park in collaboration with the adjacent City of Destin facility. The combined park area will expand to nearly 16 acres with over 100 parking spaces.
DeSantis dismissed media criticism of the purchase, saying residents in the Panhandle overwhelmingly support the acquisition.
“You go ask the people in the Panhandle: ‘Are you glad that was purchased for public use now?’ … It’d be like 99% would rather have the [park],” he said. “Because you can bring the boats, you can swim, you can do all this stuff there.”
14 Responses
Why do your pictures never show how someone would access this new park with over 100 parking spaces? This clearly isn’t the whole picture. It will be a nightmare on Gulf Shore Drive every day between Noriega Park and Hwy 98 on the one two lane road in a residential community.
The traffic would be bad as well if the condo tower was built.
Most of those condos would not be full time residents coming and going everyday. That is the case with the other condos nearby.
There is a lot of space for bicycle and e-bike parking. Only allow handicapped parking for people that need to drive. A county bus also goes there. No excuse. It is accessible by all.
Well at least 50% handicapped parking spaces.
Exactly, people that don’t know our area , have no idea … there putting it at the end of a two lane one way in , one way out … thru residential areas. Very Bad Decision!!! When hurricanes come and they do … that road is under water & norago point is washed away . It’s so congested in that area with boat traffic, you’re just piling boat , on top of boats and honestly how many sardines can you cram into a can? It’s to congested as it is Now !
People making these decisions don’t know the geological history of the land or waterways.The water moves through the pass at over 70 mph. It’s very dangerous! Inexperienced boaters come down for vacation and end up causing accidents and getting killed. Every year it gets worse!!! And now this ! It’s insane ! When is enough , enough people!!! We don’t have the roadways for all the traffic now. Putting anything else on the end of a two way lane in an already over crowded area is insanity! It’s not even realistic. It’s endangering the public!
This park is all well and good but I live on Gulf Shore Drove only entrance into the 100 spaces for parking. This will be a potential hazard for home owners and walkers along Gulf Shote Drive. No thought it appears to neighborhood safety and moveability in and out of our home areas.
Great decision, we don’t need another condo building in that area! Bathroom facilities are a great addition as there were none before and people would access the adjacent condo complex and do their business there – gross!
The tax revenue that comes in for the county and schools from the private owner was about $150,000 a year at the OLD assessed value of the property. Had it been developed, it would have been MUCH more. Now that the state bought it at an unbelievably inflated price, there will be ZERO tax revenue coming in for that property and it creates a nightmare for those living on Gulf Shore Dr. and overcrowding in that area that was already overcrowded by boats parking there on the harbor, jetties side, etc. And now we have $5 million more out of our county budget to “manage” this property for the state, too? This is an absolutely DISGUSTING waste of tax-payer dollars at city, county and state level…we are all getting robbed by these elected officials who waste our tax money on pet projects like this that appear to be helping their developer buddies out! If it was sold to another developer or individual to build on, tax revenue would have been higher based on that appraisal (not assessed value but would have been much higher than the tax on the $7 mil it was bought for in 2016/2017.
50% should be handicapped parking spots. There is a bus in place and cycling available.
Tell us about the boat docks, how many parking spaces will be for boaters and will there be a marina?
Another issue , that Governor DeSantis hasn’t considered is is the adjacent property was once owned by the government , Eglin AFB. We have endangered bird and turtle populations they come year after year and lay eggs and nests and any building on that land is disturbing there homes. People sneak over there and have no consideration for what little land was left to them. They leave there trash and waste and ruin what nature has created for them to not be disturbed. Also, homeless live under the Destin Bridge, going into Destin from west. Sometimes, High government individuals have no clue about the land and surrounding areas and make bad decisions about million dollar projects. This is the case here! It’s endangering the birds and turtles and endangering people that come here to visit because they don’t have a clue about how fast the water flows through the Norrego pass on any given day . It’s one of the most dangerous waterways in all of the Panhandle. We have tourists that think they can paddle board through the waters and they are taken buy the 80 mph currents and drowned and there bodies aren’t found. Happens yearly! Sometimes it’s best to talk with native people that have lived here for 50 years or more and can tell you it’s a mistake and why! You can’t change a mistake of endangerment of the public of your not educated in the lay out of the environment. Both of the proposed over the top projects are bad mistakes and wasting that much money without being educated is ludicrous. Governor DeSantis is making a HUGE MISTAKE THIS TIME and I’LL be the First to Tell him so ! I’ve Lived Here since 1969.I’m a USAF veteran, been stationed at EGLIN AFB , worked on Hulburt AFB and Been stationed at Tyndall Air Base.
The money should be used to help repair the bases from the damage that was caused from past hurricanes , Michael was a Cat 5 and destroyed Tyndall AFB
The county property appraisers site lists market value as $10,486,602 . While the appraisers market value is typically lower than what the property might sell for by law it is supposed to be assessed on Jan 1 every year. So its being sold for 8 times this market value. I would like to see the two appraisals and see what their “comps” were. This deal smells. Yet I would rather have it in the public domain rather than a condo on a shifting thread of sand.
And the whole $83million will be under water in the not too distant future.