$25 million hotel, with 160 rooms, headed to Navarre Beach


  • January 20, 2015
  • /   Louis Cooper
  • /   economy

Developers are moving forward with plans to build the first hotel on Navarre Beach since Hurricane Ivan shut the last one down more than a decade ago.

The Santa Rosa County Commission is set to discuss reassigning a lease on Navarre Beach to TTN, Inc., the company planning to build the hotel, according to the agenda for Tuesday’s commission meeting.

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The commission meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Santa Rosa County Administrative Office Complex, located at 6495 U.S. 90, Milton (behind McDonalds).

The agenda for the meeting is available at http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/agendas/01.20.15backup.pdf. The meeting is broadcast online at http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/bocc/BOCC_Calendar/#.

Generally, the commission’s early-week meetings – called “committee meetings” – are used to discuss items and set the agenda for Thursday’s regular meetings where final decisions are usually made.

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The commission will be discussing a request from Holi Corp, which is the current leaseholder for the hotel site, to reassign to the lease to TTN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holi Corp. The company needs the reassignment for financing purposes.

“We are planning on about 160 rooms. Construction should start early this year,” said Joe Farley, who will be general manager of the hotel. “The brand is still yet to be determined.”

Plans also include indoor and outdoor pools, 2,000 square-feet of meeting space and a full service restaurant, according to information submitted to Santa Rosa County. It is estimated that hotel guests will spend $46 million in the first five years.

The hotel is expected to create 75 new jobs, with a total annual payroll of about $1.7 million. Construction is estimated to cost about $25 million.

The new hotel will be built in the location where a Holiday Inn stood before it was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

While there are several hotels on the mainland in Navarre – and condo and vacation home rentals on the beach – there has been no traditional hotel on Navarre Beach since Ivan.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda:

-— Discussion of accepting a $10,000 marketing grant from the Florida Sports Foundation for the Milton Tough Mudder event set for March 7. Although there is a dollar-for-dollar match required for the grant, the county will meet that using existing tourism marketing money.

“Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed to test all-around strength, stamina, teamwork and mental grit,” Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree wrote in a report to the commission. “Successful events are gauged partially by the number of registrants for the course. We are hoping for 5,000 registrants plus spectators for this one day event.”

— Discussion of whether to make appointments to the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, the board that governs the bankrupt Garcon Point Bridge.

County Attorney Roy Andrews is concerned about the liability appointees may face since the bank that holds the debt for the bridge has previously said it will not continue insurance for the authority members after it expires this month.

Currently, the authority – which is supposed to have three members appointed by the commission and three appointed by the governor – has no members.

“The county has received more than three requests by individuals to be appointed to the Authority,” Andrews wrote to the bank’s attorney on Dec. 31, 2014.

“I have advised the Santa Rosa County Commission and the applicants that it would not be prudent to make appointments without continued funding of (that insurance) … Please advise whether your client is willing to fund the re-establishment of the authority.”

— Discussion of allocating $10,496.40 in recreation funds for outdoor movie nights at the Santa Rosa Sports Plex sponsored by the Pace Athletic and Recreation Association.

The proposal would cover movies to be shown on the four Friday nights of March. Movies to be shown include “Penguins of Madagascar,” “Night at the Museum 3,” “Big Hero 6” and one yet to be determined.

Southern Outdoor Cinema of Alpharetta, Ga., is providing the service.

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