SUMMARY:

  • Acting at the request of the board of directors of its owners association, Santa Rosa commissioners voted April 24 to allow the demolition of the Sandollar Condominium complex on Navarre Beach

  • Sandollar Condominium, which is 40 years old, suffered irreparable damage in 2020 at the hands of Category 2 Hurricane Sally

  • Members of the complex owners association are attempting to raise money from nine unit owners to cover the cost of demolition. No date for removal of the structure has been provided.

 

Built in 1985, the Sandollar Condominium complex on Gulf Boulevard in Navarre Beach wasn't painted in gaudy colors to stand out like the yellow residence to its immediate east or the turquoise structure to its immediate west.

But these days even the muted green-gray facade that it wore in its heyday looks washed out, faded and forlorn.

 

The Sandollar Condominium seems sad as it awaits its fate at the hands of demolition experts. The owners of the property are working to raise money to knock it down so that the valuable beachfront land on which it rests can be sold.

On April 24, acting at the request of the board of directors of the Sandollar Owners Association, the Santa Rosa County Commission voted to allow the demolition of the building to go forward.

Dave Courtnage, the board's secretary, had relayed in a letter to County Attorney Tom Dannheisser the frustrations the association had encountered trying to sell the building, which has been on the market since the summer of 2022.

"While there is a lot of interest in the property, and we have accepted several offers, it has been difficult to get a contract through to completion," Courtnage wrote to the county. "One of the most frequently cited issues is the risk or uncertainty associated with the demolition of the building. We have provided potential buyers with a current estimate of the demolition cost and certification that the building is free of asbestos, but to no avail."

The board is trying to raise money from unit owners to cover the cost of demolition, which Courtnage reported could "hopefully expedite a sale."

 

As of May 15, the building was still standing and a for sale sign remained in place at the lot at 7885 Gulf Blvd. The real estate agent listed did not return a phone call to respond to questions about buyer interest in the property.

 

Courtnage did not respond to an email seeking comment for this article or provide a time frame for demolition of the building. Michelle Colangelo, listed as the registered agent for the Sandollar Owners Association, also did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The uninhabited, hurricane damaged Sandollar Condominium complex on Gulf Boulevard in Navarre Beach is slated for demolition.


The 14 unit Sandollar Condominium was one of thousands of structures in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that were damaged on Sept. 16, 2020, when powerful and erratic Category 2 Hurricane Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Courtnage reported to the County Commission that the damage to the exterior of the building can be seen in its sagging balconies and failed stucco. He said the Owners Association had taken steps to support the balconies.

In March 2022, the association commissioned a company out of Destin, Building Engineering Consultants, to conduct a survey of the building exterior. That report found significant structural issues, roof damage and substantial water infiltration.

The cost of repairs was estimated at $3.1 million, without an inspection even being conducted of the building's interior.

"The owners assessed that the cost of repairing the building was more than the building would be worth when the repairs were completed," the Courtnage letter said.

The last of its owners moved out in June 2022.

Courtnage, who lists a home address in Ontario, Canada, is listed as a managing partner of an entity called Lady Court Properties LLC. The limited liability corporation owns one unit within the complex, property appraiser and state Division of Corporation records show.

In his letter to the county, Courtnage noted that the age of Sandollar Condominium, which is one of the older condominiums on Navarre Beach, also played a factor in the decision to move forward with the demolition.

As part of the process of preparing the condominium for demolition, the Owners Association went through a legal procedure called Termination of Condominium. This is described on legal websites as a state-mandated process through which a condominium association removes a structure from "the condominium form of ownership."

The board of directors was named as termination trustee, Courtnage said in his letter to the county. The termination was recorded in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.