Save Eastern Lake from Development! Update: County Pays $9.5M

The price being discussed is insane, but they need that property so I am all for it.

Whatever it takes.

The price being discussed is insane, but they need that property so I am all for it.

Whatever it takes.

Sounds like a good case for eminent domain.

The price being discussed is insane, but they need that property so I am all for it.

Whatever it takes.

I'm on the fence about the price. Where else is there 3 acres of Gulf front property even available? Ultimately this guy can't build what he wants so the county should probably low ball him or simply wait.

I'm on the fence about the price. Where else is there 3 acres of Gulf front property even available? Ultimately this guy can't build what he wants so the county should probably low ball him or simply wait.

I was at the meeting yesterday, and everyone in the room was on the same page about wanting the County to buy the property. About the price tag, only two people were good with it. (Russell & Shipman). But the County voted to begin the process of getting two appraisals. The two main determining factors, in my opinion, are (1) Whether the county will use some of it's general funds, to help make the purchase, and take monetary pressure off the TDC's acquisition account, and (2) the fact that Peter Russell seems very adamant about closing this deal before the end of this year. If these three parties can give just a little bit, this thing could go through.

this dude is about to score big off some useless lot that cant be built on.

this dude is about to score big off some useless lot that cant be built on.

Yes, he is, but if you think about it, the money has come from the tourists, not you or me. Trust me, it truly sticks in my craw, but it’s the right thing to do for generations to come.

this dude is about to score big off some useless lot that cant be built on.

boggles the mind that anything within 500 yards of a Lake Outfall was ever made private.

boggles the mind that anything within 500 yards of a Lake Outfall was ever made private.

...or beaches for that matter?!? Don't understand why beachfront lots weren't sold with property lines that end at the dunes (?)

...or beaches for that matter?!? Don't understand why beachfront lots weren't sold with property lines that end at the dunes (?)

Yeah there was no one watching anything back then - it was a cluster bomb of a land grab. Imagine if there was a hundred yard or more buffer from the dunes and lakes, and Scenic 30A was north of all lakes ... what could have been.

If not for state lands we would be even more screwed.

...or beaches for that matter?!? Don't understand why beachfront lots weren't sold with property lines that end at the dunes (?)

Ran across this old photo....



....looks like at some point cica 1950s a sidewalk ran along the top of the dunes in Seagrove. Any "long timers' remember this?

Ran across this old photo....

View attachment 91794

....looks like at some point cica 1950s a sidewalk ran along the top of the dunes in Seagrove. Any "long timers' remember this?

That was at Seagrove Villas. Mother Nature decided she didnt like it and took it and most of the dune back. Some of it stayed a sand "path" for a while but never more than that.

I know things were simpler and there was no malice but putting a sidewalk on top of dunes kind of sums up the SoWal experience of putting people's convenience and desires above a natural world beach environment that is so awesome it bring spiritual experience for those that are not entitled and selfish.

Ran across this old photo....

View attachment 91794

....looks like at some point cica 1950s a sidewalk ran along the top of the dunes in Seagrove. Any "long timers' remember this?

There are one or two remnants still remaining. It ran along the bluffs through much of old Seagrove (no bacon icon for that section).

With little time to spare, the Walton County Commission was able to salvage a deal that will add an estimated 500 feet of beach to its public property inventory.

Commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday to pay $9.5 million for a 3-acre tract of beach between Eastern Lake and the Gulf of Mexico near the Seagrove Beach community. The property includes the outfall that connects the rare coastal dune lake to the Gulf of Mexico.

The property sale will be completed Thursday, a day ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline landowner Peter Russell had set when he began negotiating with the county in October.

The purchase will be paid for with tourist development tax funds.

As part of the transaction, commissioners agreed to sign a document stating that the fair market value of the beach parcel was $18 million at the time of the sale and that Russell had provided the county $8.5 million of the value as a charitable donation.

The 4-1 super majority vote was required for the transaction to be finalized. Commissioner Tony Anderson, who cast the single dissenting vote, said he was in favor of buying the beach parcel, but as a self-described "pain in the butt rule follower" he did not feel he could honestly agree to $18 million as a fair market value for the land Russell was selling.

"I have a problem when I vote on something and I have to lie to someone to vote on it. ... I know that property is not worth $18 million," he said. "I feel like I'm lying to the IRS, which I despise, but it's still a lie."

The commission was assured by interim County Attorney Clay Adkinson that the tax credit Russell and his company, San Roy Holdings LLC, would seek for contributing $8.5 million in property to the county was "between Mr. Russell and the IRS."

Adkinson said signing the tax document in which the fair market value was listed at $18 million would not affect the sale, and commissioners could not be held liable for attestations made by Russell to the federal government.

Russell originally approached the county with an offer to sell the parcel for $18 million, which he told them was the price he'd had it appraised for. Two county appraisals, however, estimated the value of the land at $6 million.

Russell at one point considered offering to split the difference and sell the county the property for $12 million, but by mid-December with the deadline looming, the sale price had dropped to $10 million, so long as commissioners agreed to the $18 million appraisal.

Many residents, particularly those living in Seagrove Beach, appeared willing throughout negotiations between Russell and the county to have commissioners spend whatever it took to obtain the land.

In public forums they cited preserving the unique environmental features of Eastern Lake and all 15 of the county's coastal dune lakes, the benefit to the public of adding more county-owned beach and the opportunity to remove a large swath of coastline from private ownership. Russell on Tuesday estimated the beachfront at just under 500 feet.

"To me it is priceless, to these neighbors it is priceless, to the world it is priceless," Realtor Debbie Heard told commissioners in October.

Prior to Tuesday's vote, Russell reminded commissioners that their children's children would thank them if they agreed to buy his property.

"Today your vote will be part of your legacy," he said. "This could be a step forward into the future of Walton County."

Tentative plans call for construction of a pedestrian bridge spanning the outfall, whose width, depth and even location is dictated by environmental factors that include tides, rains and winds. There also has been discussion of adding parking nearby and installing restrooms and other amenities.

San Roy Road resident John Martin, though, thought the county would be better served buying the property and then leaving it as is.

"I humbly request that when you deed the land over to the county you put restrictions in for no improvements," Martin said. "Put in the deed that we're going to leave it alone."

John Martin's words were a perfect expression of what the majority of people feel: This piece of land should the center focus of "Preservation" of the few remaining pristine stretches of beach left in South Walton. There are plans for parking and bathrooms inland nearby, so I can't see any reason to do anything with this land but to cherish it. Many thanks to the government officials that helped make this happen.

John Martin's words were a perfect expression of what the majority of people feel: This piece of land should the center focus of "Preservation" of the few remaining pristine stretches of beach left in South Walton. There are plans for parking and bathrooms inland nearby, so I can't see any reason to do anything with this land but to cherish it. Many thanks to the government officials that helped make this happen.

What are your thoughts about a bridge over the outfall?

Having lived in the immediate area for the last decade and seen how mother nature reacts, this would be an enormously bad idea - the last thing a coastal dune lake needs is more human intervention as means of convienance. JMHO..

What are your thoughts about a bridge over the outfall?

Absolutely not. The way the outfall meanders would make it useless in months. If people traveling thousands of miles to get to the beach can't wade through a foot and a half of lake water, maybe they shouldn't be coming to this stretch of beach.

Did the sale close? If so, What are Walton County's plans for the parcel?

Totally the right move on all accounts. Theres other parts of the country where this could’ve been a mess. Either through unlawful seizure of property, or residents with no ownership interest in the property throwing tantrums and attempting to obstruct the property owner from utilizing their asset. Everyone wins here.