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Bluewater ‘Preserved:’ Activists Raise Almost $2.5 Million To Keep Out New Development, Retain Green Space in BWB

Christopher Saul
June 13, 2024
8:16 pm
Bluewater Bay, Housing, Okaloosa County, Real Estate

In Brief:

The Preserve Bluewater Bay group has raised funds to purchase 150 acres, preventing housing development on two golf courses and part of a third.
The effort began in 2022 after learning of plans to sell the Bluewater Bay golf courses for residential development, leading to a $25,000 deposit and a nearly $2.5 million fundraising goal.
If the purchase is finalized, the newly formed LLC by Bluewater Bay residents will be responsible for maintaining the land and facilities, preserving it as a golf course or green space.

The Preserve Bluewater Bay group has achieved its goal – the group now has the funds to purchase 150 acres of land – and stop anyone from developing more housing two golf courses and a part of a third one.

The group that started the effort began in earnest to raise money in 2022 after learning that the Bluewater Bay Development Venture, which owns the course, would close the course and look to sell it as land for homes.

A group of five men sought and got a letter of intent to purchase the property and gave a $25,000 deposit to give them two years to raise almost two and a half million dollars to purchase the land and keep it as a golf course – or some other green space.

If the purchase agreement goes through – the LLC which the Bluewater Bay Residents started will be respoinsible for maintaining the land, which includes the Bay and Marsh courses, a maintenance shop, various equipment, and the first three holes of the lake course, and paying it’s employees.

Originally Bluewater Bay only had two 9 hole courses. The Bay and the Lake. The third course, the Marsh course, was added in 1984. The fourth 9 hole course was the course within Magnolia Plantation added in 1996. More recently, the course at Magnolia Plantation and the Lake course have closed.