The Trust for Public Land’s effort to preserve a vacant, privately held 5.74-acre parcel located inside Navarre Beach Marine Park has failed for a lack of funding, Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Bob Cole announced this morning.
“I received a letter from Liberies Law Firm,” Cole said at the beginning of the May 21 commission committee meeting, stating he felt the item should be read into public record.
Cole noted the Liberies firm represents Shoreline Developers, LLC, a corporation which owns the vacant commercial property.
“The principals for the Trust for Public Land was unable to secure funding,” Cole read.
Developers in 2016 met resistance from locals who opposed their plans to build a 134-unit housing complex inside the park.
A lease amendment to allow construction of a facility other than a three-story 50-foot by 200-foot metal dry-storage marina, which was written into the 50-year lease was necessary.
At the time Developer Vick Deal stated they were uninterested in constructing the marina.
“I haven’t been involve for quite some time now. I think it’s probably going to wind up being a marina,” Deal told South Santa Rosa News on Monday.
