A for sale sign still stands as the most prominent man-made feature on one of the few remaining vacant properties on Navarre Beach, though evidence now suggests that what was once to be high rise condominiums, and later an RV Park, might yet be developed as residential housing.

Christopher Ferrara or his representatives are scheduled to meet with Santa Rosa County planning and zoning officials Oct. 7 for a pre-application meeting to present the case for construction of 92 ground level condominiums spread across the 23-acre property.

Ferrara, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, based businessman, has held ownership interest in the parcel since 1997. It lies between Gulf Boulevard, a primary east-west Navarre Beach thoroughfare, and features 1,800 feet of land fronting the Santa Rosa Sound.

Preliminary drawings indicate individual stand-alone condominiums will be built across the length and breadth of the property with nine overlooking the waters of the Sound. Plans also call for a private pool and pool house, parking for vehicles and golf carts, a centrally located dog park and a "tot lot."

Ferrara had placed the 23 acres on the market in the summer of 2024. The move raised some eyebrows because in late 2023 he had emerged from a long battle with the county with an agreement that would have allowed him to put a high scale RV Park capable of accommodating 171 motor homes on the property.

The price tag for "one of the largest waterfront development sites available in Northwest Florida" is $23.5 million, according to marketing materials found on a list Bellcore Commercial real estate website.

Zoned for Navarre Beach planned mixed-use construction, the Bellcore listing calls the acreage "the premier (location) for high density residential and commercial development." If it had sold, or does sell, the parcel could conceivably be developed as either condominiums or an RV Park.

Efforts to reach Harry Bell, the real estate agent whose name and phone number appear on the sign listing the property for sale, were not successful.

Following the original purchase of the property just ahead of the turn of the century, Ferrara sold off a portion of his holdings to an Atlanta business. The group formulated plans for Port Navarre, a $300 million "city within a city" offering 700 condominium units and 100 hotel rooms.

Ten years after the Port Navarre plans fell through and Ferrara and his partners parted ways, he went to the county to request an amendment to the lease he held to allow for construction of an RV Park on his 23 acres. He argued it would be less impactful than the condominiums he already held the permits to develop.

The RV Park development came under fire in 2021 when the Navarre Beach Leaseholders and Residents Association objected to its construction. Members claimed the campground would lower property values, increase crime and add to already existing traffic woes.

Pressured by the community, county commissioners voted 4-1 in 2021 to reject Ferrara's request for the lease amendment to allow him to build the RV Park. Commissioner Colten Wright was the single vote in favor of granting the RV Park request.

Opposition led Ferrara to propose construction of three 16-story buildings with 220 condominium/hotel units each and 87 underground parking stalls. But he also filed a lawsuit in 2022 to force the county to reconsider his RV Park request.

Ferrara's lawsuit got tossed out of federal court when a judge decided "the plain language" of the Navarre Beach lease clause did not allow for development of an RV Park, but a federal appeals court called for mediation ahead of making a ruling of its own.

The county made the unpopular decision in November of 2023 to allow the RV Park to be built on the barrier island in exchange for Ferrara dropping his appeal of the original federal ruling. The 23 acres were put up for sale about eight months later.