Studer Community Institute

Navarre Beach lease fees, ownership on tap for Santa Rosa commission today

March 23, 2015
/ Louis Cooper
/ government

People who hold leases to property on Navarre Beach could be impacted by two items being discussed at this morning's Santa Rosa County Commission meeting. [sidebar] The commission meets at 9 a.m. today at the Santa Rosa County Administrative Office Complex, located at 6495 U.S. 90, Milton (behind McDonald's). The agenda for the meeting is available here. The meeting is broadcast online at http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/bocc/BOCC_Calendar/#. Generally, the commission’s Monday meetings – called “committee meetings” – are used to discuss items and set the agenda for Thursday’s regular meetings where final decisions are usually made. [/sidebar] Commissioners are set to discuss capping the lease fees paid by leaseholders at $250. "There are 2013 residential leases on Navarre Beach (and) 722 of those leases have a fixed fee of $250 or less and will not have to be modified," County Attorney Roy Andrews wrote in a report to the comission."Therefore, it will be necessary to enter into amendments of up to 1291 leases." Modifications to leases that require more than $250 in fees will be effective Nov. 1, 2014. Refunds or credits will be established based on that date. "Accordingly, each lessee applying for amendment will be requested to furnish the latest document by which they claim an interest," Andrews wrote. "Those documents will be checked against Santa Rosa County records to insure accuracy of our records. Applicants must have no past due ad valorem taxes or past due lease fees to be eligible for amendment." Commissioners will also discuss bills introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, that would grant leaseholders on Santa Rosa Island titles to their land. Over the last decade, a series of lawsuits have imposed property taxes on the leaseholders in addition to the lease fees they already pay. The communities of Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach are located on Santa Rosa Island. "This is a fairness issue," Miller said in a press release. "This legislation will help to ensure that leaseholders currently paying taxes and living and working on Santa Rosa Island have the choice to attain title to their land, while also upholding current conservation agreements and public access to the island's beaches." Miller and Rubio say the proposal does not affect the right to public beach access, does not reopen the Navarre Pass, does not remove restrictions on conservation areas and does not change the boundaries of the Gulf Islands National Seashore or negatively impact the mission of the National Park Service. Other items on Monday's agenda include: — A proposal from Commissioner Rob Williamson for Leadership Santa Rosa Class 29 to sponsor and design a memorial at Navarre Park for the 11 Marines and soldiers who died in the recent Black Hawk crash in Santa Rosa Sound. — Hiring landscape architect Alan D. Holt of Panama City to direct the state project to beautify the medians of U.S. 98 in Navarre for $8,500. — Allocating $25,000 to the City of Jay for recreation facilities maintenance.

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Navarre Beach lease fees, ownership on tap for Santa Rosa commission today

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