Pensacola Beach, Florida
Encyclopedia
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
, a barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
, in Escambia County
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is situated south of 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...
, and 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. ...
connected via bridges spanning to 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...
and then to the island, on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738.
Pensacola Beach occupies land bound by a 1947 deed from the United States Department of Interior that it be administered in the public interest by the county or leased, but never "disposed"; its businesses and residents are thus long-term leaseholders and not property owners.
Pensacola 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...
, which includes all of Escambia County
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
and Santa Rosa
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. ...
counties.
History
- Also see: History of Pensacola, FloridaHistory of Pensacola, FloridaThe history of Pensacola, Florida begins long before the official founding of the modern city in 1698. The area around present-day Pensacola was inhabited by Native American peoples thousands of years before the historical area. The historical era begins with the arrival of Spanish exlorers in the...
.
Francisco Maldonado, a lieutenant
under Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
, visited the area during the early Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
exploration of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He anchored in Pensacola Bay
Pensacola Bay
Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle.The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, is located in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County, adjacent to the city of Pensacola, Florida, and is about 13 miles long and 2.5 miles ...
for the winter of 1539–1540.
In 1559, Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano led the first settlement of the region. His 11 ships, with 1500 settlers, anchored in the bay and established its colony on the site of today's Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
. A hurricane decimated the colony a few weeks later, killing hundreds and sinking 5 ships. Suffering long-term famine and fighting, this first settlement was finally abandoned in 1561. A presidio
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth...
was constructed on Santa Rosa Island in 1722 near the location of the more recent Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...
. Hurricanes in 1741 and 1752 forced its relocation to the mainland.
Pensacola Beach for many years remained largely undeveloped. A casino was constructed on the island (at the present day location of Casino Beach) where a variety of special events including beauty pagents, fishing tournaments and boxing matches were held from the 30s through 50s.
The entire island was initially owned by the Federal Government. In order to promote infrastructure and growth on the island, the Federal Government leased the lands now encompassing Pensacola Beach to the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) who in turn has leased the property to homeowners. As a result, all structures on the island have 99 year renewable leases with the SRIA rather than ownership of the land itself.
Geography
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...
and Pensacola Bay, and to the east and west by 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...
.
Climate
While generally cooler than most of peninsular Florida, Pensacola Beach maintains a more stable temperature year round than inland areas of Pensacola and Escambia County. As such, winter lows are several degrees warmer than Pensacola proper and summer highs are generally cooler as a result of the surrounding waters. As with many islands, Pensacola Beach enjoys sea breezes which begin around noon and end around sunset in the summer.Hurricanes/Oil Spill
As a community located on a low-lying barrier island, Pensacola Beach is vulnerable to hurricanes. Landfalling storms have been known to drive storm surgeStorm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
over the island, damaging or destroying man made structures and causing beach erosion. In 1995, two hurricanes made landfall on the island. Hurricane Erin (1995)
Hurricane Erin
The name Erin has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* Hurricane Erin * Hurricane Erin * Hurricane Erin * Tropical Storm Erin...
made landfall in August while Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal was a Category 4 hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico in September 1995.Opal was the ninth hurricane and the strongest of the abnormally active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season...
blasted the island just two months later, leveling some dunes and destroying a number of homes.
On 16 September 2004, 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...
devastated the Pensacola Beach area, destroying more than 650 homes and damaging many others. Ivan was the last Hurricane to make Florida landfall in 2004, one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in decades.
On 10 July 2005, Dennis
Hurricane Dennis
Hurricane Dennis was an early-forming major hurricane in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during the very active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Dennis was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season...
made landfall between Pensacola Beach and east-end Navarre Beach
Navarre Beach, Florida
Navarre Beach, is an unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the U.S. state of Florida. It is on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. The community is considered part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.Immediately to its east...
. However, as with Erin several years earlier, the damage on Pensacola Beach was not nearly as extensive as predicted.
The island has been subject to mandatory evacuation order during some of these hurricanes.
The Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...
, a BP-operated oil-drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast, exploded April 20, 2010, eventually releasing almost 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf before being capped on August 4, 2010. Oil from the explosion did not reach Pensacola Beaches until June 4, 2010. Crews posted along Escambia County’s coastline quickly cleaned much of the oil that was evident along the beaches. Despite cleanup efforts, tourism in the Pensacola Beach area was adversely affected during the summer of 2010 but has since rebounded to levels nearly equal to pre-Deepwater Horizen levels.
As part of the ongoing environmental response, community, private and governmental organizations are monitoring the beach and water for any signs of oil related incidents. The sand on the beaches has been deep cleaned and the water quality is tested on a regular basis ensuring a beautiful and safe vacation destination for travelers from all over the world.
The Quietwater Beach Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is on the Santa Rosa SoundSanta 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...
side of the island, directly across from Casino Beach. Retail shops, restaurants, nightclubs, street musicians and sidewalk artists line it. The Boardwalk has a large sea shell stage where concerts are held several times a year. Most events are held here, including The Lobster Fest, DeLuna Fest, Bushwacker Fest, and the Independence Day fireworks. Behind the beach there is a boat dock where anyone can park their boats free of charge.
Fort Pickens
Fort PickensFort Pickens
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...
was completed in 1834 and used until WWII, when modern weapons made traditional coastal defense obsolete. Fort Pickens has changed over the years, so take the self-guided tour and peel back the layers of history. You'll see the plaster-lined rooms that were intended as officers' quarters, and later used to house Apache prisoners. The most famous resident, Geronimo, lived in identical rooms along the south wall, which have since collapsed. Fort Pickens now houses an auditorium, a museum, and a visitors center offering information about the area.
The Fort itself is only part of the National Seashore's attractions: the boundary stretches back seven miles (11 km). (Fodor's rates Ft. Pickens' beaches the best in Florida.) So whether you take the bike trail or the highway, you'll find campgrounds, nature trails, and miles and miles of protected beaches perfect for sand dollar and sea shell hunting, and for picking through flotsam washed ashore from the high seas and exotic foreign ports. The road out to the fort was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, and was closed until it re-opened on
22 May 2009 . There is still much work to be accomplished within Fort Pickens Area and full visitor services will not be available. Initially, utilities (electric, water and dump stations) will not be available in the Fort Pickens Campground. This is scheduled to be repaired in the fall of 2009. Reservations will not start up until 2010.
Novelty houses
Futuro
thumb|right|A Futuro house in [[Warrington, New Zealand]]Futuro or Futuro House, is a round, prefabricated house designed by Matti Suuronen, of which about 100 were built during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The distinctive flying saucer like shape and airplane hatch entrance has made the houses...
attached as a second story. This Futuro house is sometimes called the "Spaceship House." Another novelty house is the "Dome of a Home", a home in the form of a large concrete dome, designed to structurally withstand hurricane-force winds and storm surge. It is also known as the "Flintstone Home" due to the fact it resembles a rock home.
Education
There is one school on Pensacola Beach. The Pensacola Beach Elementary School is for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. This school has an enrollment ranging from 120 to 140 students. All elementary-school age children on Pensacola Beach are eligible to attend the school. The first year the school was open, for the school year 1977-1978, classes were held in an empty A-frame house owned by a local named Harry Gowens. The Pensacola Beach Volunteer Fire Department building was also used in aiding the teachers and administrators. In November 1977, four portable buildings were moved to the present site. The school has continued to grow and produce some outstanding students. The school has been ranked as an 'A' school in the state for many years running. They have also received the 5 Star School award since 1998. This award recognizes schools with exemplary student involvement. In 2001 the Pensacola Beach Elementary lost its ties to the Escambia County School DistrictEscambia County School District
The Escambia County School District is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in Escambia County, Florida, in the United States...
and became a Charter school. Now the school, with the help of parents, volunteers, and the community, must find ways to pay for their resources and staff.
Churches
There are only two churches on the island of Pensacola Beach. It is under the laws and guidelines of the Santa Rosa Island Authority that these be the only churches on the island. The first is the Pensacola Beach Community Church, affiliated with the United Church of ChristUnited Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. The second is the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church. Our Lady of the Assumption Church is a mission church of St. Ann's Catholic church, located in Gulf Breeze, Florida.