Eglin hopes to cash in on sand, sun and surf - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Eglin hopes to cash in on sand, sun and surf

Tourism brings in $1 billion a year to the Florida Panhandle’s Okaloosa County — and Eglin Air Force Base wants a piece of the action.

The base plans to turn 17 acres of Air Force-owned property into a public resort that would have 250 guest rooms, a conference center, restaurants, shops, swimming pools, a water park and nearly 600 feet of sandy beach. A portion of the rooms would be available to military personnel at discounted rates.

Under the proposal, the Air Force would lease the property — valued by county appraisers at $25.2 million — to a developer who would design, build and operate the resort. It is unclear whether the developer would pay cash or would do development work for Eglin.

“The purpose of the proposed action is for the [Air Force] to make the best use of a high-value, real property asset that is currently underutilized,” according to a draft environmental assessment released by Eglin’s 96th Air Base Wing in late January. “The [proposal] provides a revenue stream and improved mission-related capabilities while enhancing the local economy.”

The plot, about 13 miles south of Eglin’s west gate on Santa Rosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, is empty except for a 1,040-square-foot building that houses a little-used radar operation for test and training missions over the Gulf of Mexico.

The developer would have to tear down the building to make way for the resort. As part of the deal, the Air Force would move the operation to the resort, putting antennae on the roof and getting office space inside. Relocating the antennae would make them more useful for missions over the gulf by providing a better line of sight, said Glenn Wagner, 96th Civil Engineer Group EVL manager.

The project would not harm the environment, the assessment found. The building would incorporate “green” features, according to the assessment, and wetland habitat would be preserved.

“The actual size, amenities [and] level of luxury are all to be determined during the lease negotiation with the selected developer,” Wagner said. “One primary criterion is that the development should be useful, accessible and beneficial to all levels of military.”

The number of rooms for military members has not been decided, Wagner said, but the resort would cater to military members, their families and Defense Department civilians.

The Air Force cannot yet estimate how much money the resort might bring in, Wagner said.

The Northwest Florida Daily News came out in support of the proposal in a Jan. 27 editorial, and an online poll conducted by the newspaper found that 65 percent of the readers who responded are in favor of the resort. The Air Force is accepting public comments on the proposal until March 12.

The proposal has been in the works since May 2006. The Air Force also considered selling the land, but a sale would have required congressional approval and would have deprived Eglin of using the site for test and training missions.