10/02/2026
CREDIT Where Credit is Due
I saw this excellent post on the SAVE OUR BEACH (SOB) site recently. It was so well written that I submitted it to Navarre Press for publication. They just published it this week but put my name on it.
The author is Mary Stephan. All credit is hers.
Navarre’s greatest asset is not what can be built there—it’s what has been left unbuilt.
Mary Stephan 14 September 2026
As Florida’s coastline becomes increasingly developed, truly natural coastal environments are becoming rare. Preserving Navarre Beach and its surrounding natural areas creates long-term economic opportunities that cannot be replicated once they are lost. Researchers, universities, environmental organizations, conservation groups, and government agencies are continually seeking intact coastal ecosystems for scientific study, environmental monitoring, education, and restoration research. Likewise, filmmakers, documentary producers, photographers, artists, and media organizations are increasingly searching for authentic natural settings that have not been altered by extensive development.
These activities bring visitors, investment, jobs, and recognition to a community while placing far less strain on infrastructure, public services, and natural resources than intensive commercial development.
A natural coastline also provides economic resilience. Restaurants, hotels, retail centers, and entertainment districts can be found in countless beach communities throughout Florida. However, large stretches of undeveloped coastline are becoming increasingly uncommon. Navarre has the opportunity to distinguish itself as a destination for nature-based tourism, wildlife observation, birding, environmental education, scientific research, outdoor recreation, and film production rather than competing with dozens of other developed coastal destinations.
Beyond its economic value, preserving natural areas protects essential ecosystem services that directly benefit residents and taxpayers. Healthy dunes, wetlands, and native vegetation help buffer storm surge, reduce erosion, improve water quality, support fisheries, provide wildlife habitat, and increase the community’s resilience to hurricanes and extreme weather events. Replacing these natural systems with development often shifts long-term costs to taxpayers through increased infrastructure needs, shoreline stabilization projects, stormwater management, and environmental restoration efforts.
The Gulf ecosystem is also home to species found almost nowhere else on Earth. Among them is the critically endangered Rice’s whale, one of the rarest whale species in the world, with only a small population remaining in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf’s ecological value extends far beyond local boundaries, making the protection of coastal habitats and water quality a matter of national and international significance.
Closer to home, Navarre Beach provides important habitat for threatened and endangered sea turtles, including loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles that nest along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Navarre’s commitment to sea turtle conservation has already earned national recognition through the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center. Protecting natural beaches, dunes, dark night skies, and nearshore waters helps ensure these species can continue to nest and thrive. These conservation assets attract visitors, students, researchers, educators, photographers, and volunteers from across the country while reinforcing Navarre’s identity as a steward of Florida’s natural heritage.
The scenic character of Navarre is itself an economic asset. Residents and visitors are drawn to the area’s open vistas, native habitats, dark skies, quiet beaches, abundant wildlife, and sense of connection to nature. These qualities contribute to property values, quality of life, and the community’s identity. As more coastal communities become densely developed, Navarre’s natural character becomes increasingly valuable and increasingly rare.
Preserving these natural areas is not anti-growth. It is a strategic investment in an asset that becomes more valuable as similar places disappear elsewhere. The long-term economic, environmental, educational, scientific, and cultural value of protecting a rare natural coastline may ultimately exceed the short-term gains of additional development.
Future generations will never thank us for making Navarre look like every other beach town. They will thank us for preserving one of the few remaining places where nature, wildlife, research, education, recreation, and community can coexist in a largely undeveloped coastal environment.
Navarre has an opportunity to be known not for what it builds on its coastline, but for what it chooses to preserve for future generations
