Along with a previously planned new bathroom, Santa Rosa County will open bids for construction of two new outdoor shower facilities at Navarre Beach Fishing Pier parking lot.
Commissioners during today’s committee meeting voted to approve on Thursday the $100,000 improvements, which will be constructed with tourism revenues held in reserves for contingencies.
Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Director Julie Morgan said during peak tourism season lines form to use the existing showers, which only have one shower head on each post. She said the planned improvements would provide six shower heads per post, increasing the number of people who can wash off from two to 24 at a time.
The improvements would include two identical areas/islands located in the east and west end parking lot areas of the pier parking lot. The renovations would include adding shade sails, park benches, bike racks, garbage cans, new shower towers on concrete pads at each location, per today’s agenda.
District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech, who serves on the TDC, said it was time to make the improvements and noted the increase in local tourism.
During fiscal year 2018, which ended in last October, county tourism revenues were the highest on record, totaling nearly $3.3 million.
The latest county tourism statistics show that during the final quarter of calendar year 2018, tourism revenues increased roughly 38 percent — up from $426,328.99 to $586,739.56.
Morgan told South Santa Rosa News that the bidding and planning process could be completed within 90 days and construction would begin thereafter.
