Escambia postpones Galvez Landing project, opts to fund Perdido Key beach access instead

Escambia County has scrapped plans to modernize Galvez Landing Boat Ramp on Innerarity Point with $5.2 million in RESTORE Act funds, and county leaders may instead put some of that money toward buying Gulf front property on Perdido Key to create another beach access point for the public.  

The two projects were included in the latest draft of Escambia’s amended RESTORE Act Multi-Year Implementation Plan, which the public was asked to provide input on.

Initially, the county’s proposed design for the Galvez Landing Boat Ramp called for improvements like bathrooms and adding new and larger spaces for bigger vehicles and boats.

It also called for removing from the process a plan to acquire Gulf front property to build a new Perdido Key Beach Public Access because the owner wants about $1 million more than the parcel’s appraised value, which is $2.5 million.

However, priorities for those projects have been reversed.

People spoke both for and against the proposed plans, and ultimately Escambia District 1 Commissioner Steve Stroberger, who represents the area where Perdido Key and Innerarity Point are located, decided to pull the plug on the boat ramp project, at least for now.

“I did it because it was probably the right thing to do with the time we had,” Stroberger said. “We have to finely tune what we wanted to do with Galvez Landing and we’ve got time to do it. Let’s go grab some more public beach access instead.”

Escambia County is eyeing Gulf front property on Perdido Key that is immediately west of Beach Access #3.

The property owner is asking about $3.6 million for the land, which according to the county is about a million dollars over the parcel’s appraised value.

RESTORE funds will only pay appraised value and nothing over that, according to county staff.

Stroberger said the county will look to make up the difference with money from a different source, but which source is still to be determined.

Utilizing other funds to pay above the appraised value will require a super majority vote from the board of county commissioners.

In the meantime, Stoberger said he’s hoping to work out a deal with the property owner to buy the land.

“I’m going to talk to him about that property and see what I can work out with him,” Stoberger said.  

Although he doesn’t know when the project will be revisited, Stroberger said plans to improve Galvez Landing will not be scrapped permanently because “it needs help,” especially for boaters.

Some say they often struggle with small, cramped parking spaces for their vehicles and vessels and a lack of dock space.

Why use RESTORE Act funds for public beach access?

Providing more public access to Perdido Key Beaches has long been a point of discussion and legal action.

Some say the four access points currently available are not enough, while others, including members of the Perdido Key Association, which represents property owners, say there’s already enough public access on Perdido Key between county access points and state parks.

Stroberger says he sees both sides of the issue but believes there can still be balance.

“I believe in property rights, but I also believe in public access,” Stroberger said. “I would hate it if we were to privatize all our beaches, imagine what that would be like? I want to provide more public beach access and that’s why I thought that beach access on the Key would be probably the most prudent thing to do.”

In the past there have been several clashes between the public and private property owners over access to the beaches.

The discovery of the original deeds to some Gulf front properties revealed there are 75-foot public access easements, which opened up about 1.2 miles of beach on Perdido Key that were previously thought exclusive.

Some property owners who bought condos and were told the beach was part of the deal are now in litigation with the county over the decision to open it up to the public.

In 2023, a judge ruled a multi-million-dollar public beach access area on Perdido Key would remain open to the public after the Seafarer Condos Owners Association filed a lawsuit to stop development of the access site, saying it violated the county’s land development code.

Escambia County also took steps to limit the number of “no trespassing” signs property owners can put up on the beach to let visitors know where public beach access ends and private property begins.

Prior to the new ordinance, some people complained there were so many signs it was cluttering the beach and making it difficult for people to access public portions of it.

There’s no word yet on when the updated RESTORE Act funding requests will be presented to the board for a vote.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia postpones Galvez Landing project, opts to fund Perdido Key beach access instead

Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal

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