FLORIDA’S EMERALD COAST

What is 30A? Where is the Emerald Coast? How has a few miles of beach in north Florida quickly become “The Hamptons of the South?” The area running from Panama City to Pensacola, FL, was marketed for many years as the Emerald Coast with its white sugar beaches and turquoise waters that are not found elsewhere until you get to the Florida Keys or the Bahamas.

Panama City Beach, Pensacola Beach, and Fort Walton Beach developed first, followed by Destin. The hot area now is a collection of small, planned beach towns between Destin and Panama City Beach, referred to as “30A,” which comprises Seaside, WaterColor, Rosemary Beach, Alys, Grayton Beach, Seagrove, and Santa Rosa Beach

A FAMILY AFFAIR
My family started 30A as a tourist destination under Cube McGee with the creation of Seagrove Beach in the 1960s. Seagrove attracted wealthy individuals looking for a peaceful and remote place to bring their families to relax. However, the area’s broader appeal came from the vision of Robert Davis. He took his family’s 80-acre retreat and transformed it into the world’s first, new urbanism community called Seaside, which was later chosen as the movie set location for the utopian town of Jim Carey’s, The Truman Show. The success of Seaside caused other wealthy families to develop their sprawling retreats into the planned beach towns of Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, and others to become the playground of the South’s elite and “The Hamptons of the South.”

While the other areas of the Emerald Coast are characterized by beachfront condominiums known elsewhere in the US, 30A has remained focused on limiting the number of condos and detached single-family homes and building up the cultures of their small towns. For homes that are within the boundaries of one of the elite communities listed above, the prices range from $1 million for a small inland condo to $17million for a gulf front house in Alys Beach (the most expensive location), with most homes being sold between $2 to $4 million. The price difference between 30A and the Hamptons reflects the fact that while the Hamptons are known for its sprawling multi-million-dollar beachfront estates, that $16.9 million sales in 30A were a 4500 square foot home on a lot that is only 0.04 acres in Alys Beach. The price per square per foot of the land rivals almost all luxury destinations, driven by the allure of their unique architecture, the natural beauty of the area, and the culture that the combination has created.

ON THE WATERFRONT
As 30A has become highly dense, crowded, and expensive, some wealthy individuals and others who looked to this area for peace and solitude have now looked beyond the beach. The Choctawhatchee Bay, which parallels the beaches of 30A, Destin, and Fort Walton Beach, is arguably the nicest in the country. It is swimmable water, clean and clear, and has a sandy bottom. Additionally, there are no currents. It offers excellent fishing and has access to some of the most beautiful places: Crab Island the Gulf Islands National Seashore. There’s always the opportunity to take your boat to a beach or spend the day on an uninhabited island.

The properties on the bay still have access to the beaches and the quaint coastal communities. Still, they are generally much larger and more private and present their owners and guests with a much wider array of vacation activities and more to make their second home feel like its own private, Floridian resort.

The challenge is where to look! Not all waterfront is created equal, and its usability varies greatly. The best waterfront has clear water with a sandy bottom deep enough to have a boat and faces either South or West for sunsets and sea breezes. This can be hard to find, but most of this type of vacation-styled waterfront is located in sleepy Fort Walton Beach/Shalimar. Its proximity to the Destin pass, Crab Island, and its many waterfront restaurants and bayous to explore make it the most attractive waterfront and it is only 10 minutes to the Destin/Fort Walton Beach Airport with direct flights to New York.

We have you covered whether you want to join in with the other elites in “The Hamptons of the South” of 30A or have your own private, Floridian resort with waterfront property. At Livin’ Right Real Estate, you’ll find generations of experience and local knowledge to provide you with the best insight on where to make your dream a reality. 

For more information on Livin’ Right Real Estate, visit livinrightrealestate.com