Oriole Beach, Florida
Encyclopedia
Oriole Beach is an unincorporated community located in Santa Rosa County
, Florida
on Santa Rosa Sound
. It lies east of Gulf Breeze, Florida
along Santa Rosa Sound
on the Fairpoint Peninsula
. Oriole Beach is part of the Pensacola
–Ferry Pass
–Brent
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
The main access road is U.S. Route 98
, which runs east to west along the peninsula. The community has its roots as a beach
cottage fishing retreat for the residents of Pensacola. Today, some of the original cement block beach cottages remain standing. They have survived many hurricanes.
About three miles south of Oriole Beach across Santa Rosa Sound is Pensacola Beach.
The community became more defined as permanent residents built homes mostly along Bay Street which runs along Santa Rosa Sound. Santa Rosa Sound carries the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach
. Present day Bay Street follows an old Indian trail and subsequent logging road used to harvest naval live oak
trees for the construction of civil war
sailing ships by the Union Navy
in the 1860s. The logging road connected to the Andrew Jackson Trail which linked Pensacola with Jacksonville, Florida
. Highway 98's current route along the Fairpoint Peninsula follows the Andrew Jackson Trail.
As the naval live oaks were harvested, the cleared land was then planted and used as cow pastures. Sections of the pasture land along the shoreline of Santa Rosa Sound was preserved and became part of the Mazzeo Estate on which some of the original naval live oak trees continue to grow today. The logging trail was replaced by an oyster shell road bed and than surfaced by the State of Florida in the 1930s. Today, a part of that land has been acquired by the National Park Service
and became the Naval Live Oaks Reservation
, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
.
In 1985 a homeowners' association was founded in Oriole Beach; it facilitated the construction of many improvements, including a new boat ramp and bicycle path. The bicycle path is part of the W.D. Childers
trail that loops approximately 28 miles around Santa Rosa Sound. In 2007 land was purchased by Santa Rosa County to construct additional trailer parking at the boat ramp.
Since 1985 the population has explosively increased with many new subdivisions being built along with a new firehouse
and police station
. The Oriole Beach Elementary school has also greatly expanded. The school is part of the Santa Rosa County School District
which in 2006 was named the best performing school district in Florida, tied with its next door neighbor the Okaloosa County School District. The community developed mostly residential with a commercial strip along Highway 98.
Hurricane Ivan
made landfall
about 30 miles east of Oriole Beach in November 2004. The tidal surge was recorded at 12 feet and the sustained winds were in excess of 120 miles per hour. The Bay Street elevation of Oriole Beach is about 7.0 feet above mean sea level
so some homes on grade were destroyed.
In February 2007 the Bay Street roadway was made three feet wider and about six inches higher by the Santa Rosa County Engineering Department. New home construction is now required by the County Land Development Code to be connected to a sanitary sewer force main rather than septic tank
s, the practice before Hurricane Ivan. The City of Gulf Breeze
supplies sanitary sewer and natural gas service to the community. Potable water is supplied by a private water system from two elevated tanks connected to local water well
s.
TThere have only been a handful of private docks rebuilt since Hurricane Ivan. This is due in part to the very limited new construction of private homes coupled with a marked increase in ad valorum taxes and insurance rates that went into effect after Hurricane Ivan.
Due in part to escalating construction and insurance costs in the time since Hurricane Ivan only about 20 houses have been rebuilt along Bay Street. The houses are constructed on pilings in accordance with the revised county land development
code. The commercial strip along US 98 remained intact but economic development has become limited in the community. One major shopping plaza remains abandoned and there remain many empty storefronts in the strip shopping centers along Highway 98. An existing Wal-Mart
in nearby Tiger Point experienced a decrease in growth. Most of the community workforce commutes about 20 miles into Pensacola or a similar distance to Ft. Walton Beach or the Air Force base at Hurlburt Field. The Florida Department of Transportation
has identified Highway 98 going through the community as a roadway to be expanded along with studies for a new Pensacola Bay Bridge.
No major tropical cyclones impacted Oriole Beach in 2006, and this allowed the community's flora to begin to reestablish itself. Most of the hurricane debris has been removed by Santa Rosa County with Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) grant money. As of Spring 2007, a few structures and pine trees damaged by Hurricane Ivan remain to be demolished and removed.
Santa Rosa County, Florida
Santa Rosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 117,743, while a July 1, 2005, estimate placed the population at 143,105, an 18% increase making it the 84th fastest growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2005. ...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound is a sound connecting Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida. The northern shore consists of the Fairpoint Peninsula and portions of the mainland in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County...
. It lies east of Gulf Breeze, Florida
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Gulf Breeze is a city located on the Fairpoint Peninsula in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States and is a suburb of Pensacola which lies to the north, across Pensacola Bay. The population was 5,665 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,455. ...
along Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound
Santa Rosa Sound is a sound connecting Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida. The northern shore consists of the Fairpoint Peninsula and portions of the mainland in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County...
on the Fairpoint Peninsula
Fairpoint Peninsula
The Fairpoint Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Florida Panhandle . It separates Santa Rosa Sound to the south from Pensacola Bay to the north. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is routed south of the peninsula through Santa Rosa Sound...
. Oriole Beach is part of the Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
–Ferry Pass
Ferry Pass, Florida
Ferry Pass is a census-designated place in Escambia County, Florida, United States. The population was 27,176 at the 2000 census. It is a principal city of the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
–Brent
Brent, Florida
Brent is a census-designated place in Escambia County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,257 at the 2000 census. It is a principal city of the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area
30° 26′ 0″ N, 87° 12′ 0″ WThe Pensacola metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Pensacola, Florida.The Office of Management and Budget has designated Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used...
.
The main access road is U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98 is an east–west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida and Apalachicola, Florida, and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida...
, which runs east to west along the peninsula. The community has its roots as a beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
cottage fishing retreat for the residents of Pensacola. Today, some of the original cement block beach cottages remain standing. They have survived many hurricanes.
About three miles south of Oriole Beach across Santa Rosa Sound is Pensacola Beach.
The community became more defined as permanent residents built homes mostly along Bay Street which runs along Santa Rosa Sound. Santa Rosa Sound carries the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.The waterway provides a channel with a controlling...
between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. Present day Bay Street follows an old Indian trail and subsequent logging road used to harvest naval live oak
Live oak
Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
trees for the construction of civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
sailing ships by the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
in the 1860s. The logging road connected to the Andrew Jackson Trail which linked Pensacola with Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Highway 98's current route along the Fairpoint Peninsula follows the Andrew Jackson Trail.
As the naval live oaks were harvested, the cleared land was then planted and used as cow pastures. Sections of the pasture land along the shoreline of Santa Rosa Sound was preserved and became part of the Mazzeo Estate on which some of the original naval live oak trees continue to grow today. The logging trail was replaced by an oyster shell road bed and than surfaced by the State of Florida in the 1930s. Today, a part of that land has been acquired by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and became the Naval Live Oaks Reservation
Naval Live Oaks Reservation
The Naval Live Oaks Reservation is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and is near Gulf Breeze, Florida. The Reservation was included in the Seashore's establishment on January 8, 1971, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1998.-History:The U.S...
, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of 7 islands...
.
In 1985 a homeowners' association was founded in Oriole Beach; it facilitated the construction of many improvements, including a new boat ramp and bicycle path. The bicycle path is part of the W.D. Childers
W.D. Childers
Wyon Dale Childers is a former West Florida politician who served 30 years in the State Senate, from 1970 to 2000, including a stint as Senate President from 1980 to 1982 and as dean from 1988 to 2000. He holds the title of Florida's longest-serving state legislator...
trail that loops approximately 28 miles around Santa Rosa Sound. In 2007 land was purchased by Santa Rosa County to construct additional trailer parking at the boat ramp.
Since 1985 the population has explosively increased with many new subdivisions being built along with a new firehouse
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
and police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
. The Oriole Beach Elementary school has also greatly expanded. The school is part of the Santa Rosa County School District
Santa Rosa County School District
The Santa Rosa County School District is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The district currently administers 15 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and six high schools, as well as a number of specialized centers.The district...
which in 2006 was named the best performing school district in Florida, tied with its next door neighbor the Okaloosa County School District. The community developed mostly residential with a commercial strip along Highway 98.
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
made landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
about 30 miles east of Oriole Beach in November 2004. The tidal surge was recorded at 12 feet and the sustained winds were in excess of 120 miles per hour. The Bay Street elevation of Oriole Beach is about 7.0 feet above mean sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
so some homes on grade were destroyed.
In February 2007 the Bay Street roadway was made three feet wider and about six inches higher by the Santa Rosa County Engineering Department. New home construction is now required by the County Land Development Code to be connected to a sanitary sewer force main rather than septic tank
Septic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
s, the practice before Hurricane Ivan. The City of Gulf Breeze
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Gulf Breeze is a city located on the Fairpoint Peninsula in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States and is a suburb of Pensacola which lies to the north, across Pensacola Bay. The population was 5,665 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,455. ...
supplies sanitary sewer and natural gas service to the community. Potable water is supplied by a private water system from two elevated tanks connected to local water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
s.
TThere have only been a handful of private docks rebuilt since Hurricane Ivan. This is due in part to the very limited new construction of private homes coupled with a marked increase in ad valorum taxes and insurance rates that went into effect after Hurricane Ivan.
Due in part to escalating construction and insurance costs in the time since Hurricane Ivan only about 20 houses have been rebuilt along Bay Street. The houses are constructed on pilings in accordance with the revised county land development
Land development
Land development refers to altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:* changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing...
code. The commercial strip along US 98 remained intact but economic development has become limited in the community. One major shopping plaza remains abandoned and there remain many empty storefronts in the strip shopping centers along Highway 98. An existing Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
in nearby Tiger Point experienced a decrease in growth. Most of the community workforce commutes about 20 miles into Pensacola or a similar distance to Ft. Walton Beach or the Air Force base at Hurlburt Field. The Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
has identified Highway 98 going through the community as a roadway to be expanded along with studies for a new Pensacola Bay Bridge.
No major tropical cyclones impacted Oriole Beach in 2006, and this allowed the community's flora to begin to reestablish itself. Most of the hurricane debris has been removed by Santa Rosa County with Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) grant money. As of Spring 2007, a few structures and pine trees damaged by Hurricane Ivan remain to be demolished and removed.