13.5 Acres of school land given away

Did anyone know that in 1998 and 1999 the county allowed Sandestin to change 13.5 acres of dedicated public school site land to Medium to high Density residential neighborhood in parcel 442, because the land wasn't needed for a school. The proceeds were supposed to go back to the county but I can't find a record of it. Isn't it nice that Sandestin needed density more than the public needed a school site. The letter is dated Feb 23, 1998 and is available in the public record.:bang:


" You can't fix Stupid"

What about the Sandestin Academy? Is that still around, does it count as a school?

I attended a meeting in 2004 in which it was stated by a county school official that "families with children were no longer moving into south Walton" so there was no need to enlarge or add to existing facilities. :blink:

It was a public school site.

What about the Sandestin Academy? Is that still around, does it count as a school?

According to the development order it was a designated public scool site from 1976 until given away in 1998/1999. It has nothing to do with any academy.:pissed:

We are obviously not going to get the land back, so are you trying to find out who received the proceeds? And how much?

I asked the BCC

We are obviously not going to get the land back, so are you trying to find out who received the proceeds? And how much?

I think this should have been a noticed public special hearing, but be that as it may, I asked the BCC last night did we ever recieve payment and how much. For reference parcel 442 is Mack bayou point subdivision. That whole area was suppossed to be a school site. You can see the video on the Walton Democratic web site under commissioners video.

I think this should have been a noticed public special hearing, but be that as it may, I asked the BCC last night did we ever recieve payment and how much. For reference parcel 442 is Mack bayou point subdivision. That whole area was suppossed to be a school site. You can see the video on the Walton Democratic web site under commissioners video.

Thanks. Is someone looking into the answers to your questions?

Thanks. Is someone looking into the answers to your questions?

Don't know yet, BCC makes a habit of not answering my questions. Guess they are too hard.

No "official" answers here, but I remember bits and pieces from 1998/1999. The County Government center on 331 was underway. I do not remember if SWHS had been approved at that point or not, but the general consensus was that there was plenty of land in the "Town Center" for one or two centrally located schools. Butler Elementary was in business, the middle school kids were at Bay, and nobody foresaw the need for more.

I vagely remember someone saying that Sandestin was too far west for a school. There was also something about archaeology brought up. Not long afterward, two of my friends contracted with Adams Homes to build at Mack Bayou Pointe.

I attended a meeting in 2002 in which it was stated by a county school official that "families with children were no longer moving into south Walton" so there was no need to enlarge or add to existing facilities. :blink:

Did you do a spit take when you heard that?:blink:

I want to say I was at the same meeting.

I want to say I was at the same meeting.

My question to the BCC, was who got the proceeds of the Sale? It was supposed to go to the county. But I can find no record of it. Wouldn't be the first time a developer failed to do what they said. This burden on the taxpayers must stop.

Did you do a spit take when you heard that?:blink:

Yes, I did.

I want to say I was at the same meeting.

Not something you'd forget.

I edited my post to indicate it was probably more like 2004 when that statement was made. Either way. . . .:yikes:

Curious, does anyone remeber who was on the board at the time?

What's a spit take?

Did you do a spit take when you heard that?:blink:

I want to say I was at the same meeting.

I heard it at a school board meeting just last year. A comment was made about not having enough kids to put at the new middle school (not by a school board member). I thought "Hello? What about the hundreds of elementary schools kids in SoWal? Do they just skip middle school and go to high school?"

Ahhh...vision and looking ahead. ;-)

What's a spit take?

When you are drinking something and someone says something so ridiculous you spray your beverage back out.

Comedy classic........................and quite common when reading Lounge posts. 😀

Curious, does anyone remeber who was on the board at the time?

IIRC, it was Donnie Richardson, Jerry (Mr. Cecelia) Jones, Darrell Barnhill, Mildred Wilkerson and Mark Davis. It may have been Bill Laird instead of Jerry Jones; I don't remember what year Bill won.

For what it is worth, that was the statistic the Department of Education used when they advised that a high school south of the Bay was not warranted. Our board decided to build it anyway, and they proved DOE wrong. Look who is at capacity now!

I heard it at a school board meeting just last year. A comment was made about not having enough kids to put at the new middle school (not by a school board member). I thought "Hello? What about the hundreds of elementary schools kids in SoWal? Do they just skip middle school and go to high school?"

Ahhh...vision and looking ahead. ;-)

Generally speaking, there were MANY people not pleased in NoWal when SWHS was built, and I expect to hear more about ECMS because of the economy.

I once got chewed out AT A TAILGATE IN TALLAHASSEE by a guy from DeFuniak after South Walton High School opened. He didn't like the name, as there is only one Walton High School, and it is the flagship school of this county, and people from across the bay get everything they want, yada yada yada.

I replied that Walton High should be renamed DeFuniak Springs High, as everyone from Glendale/Liberty north now sends their children to Paxton instead.

:trainwreck:

Generally speaking, there were MANY people not pleased in NoWal when SWHS was built, and I expect to hear more about ECMS because of the economy.

I once got chewed out AT A TAILGATE IN TALLAHASSEE by a guy from DeFuniak after South Walton High School opened. He didn't like the name, as there is only one Walton High School, and it is the flagship school of this county, and people from across the bay get everything they want, yada yada yada.

I replied that Walton High should be renamed DeFuniak Springs High, as everyone from Glendale/Liberty north now sends their children to Paxton instead.

:trainwreck:

That makes me so sad. From what I have heard and now seen, we are playing catchup down here, facilities-wise.