From the Pensacola News Journal October 25, 2011

The idea of re-establishing a pass to the Gulf of Mexico near Navarre is getting new 
life from the Air Force.

Santa Rosa County Commissioner Jim Melvin said Monday that officials at Eglin Air Force Base are interested in studying the possibility of creating a pass on base 
property near Navarre for military and public use.

A pass at Navarre Beach was dug and open for only two months in 1965 before Hurricane Betsy struck, closing the outlet.

The idea of reopening the pass has been talked about often over the years, but cost and potential environmental impact have kept it from getting very far.

Such a pass would be the only link between the Gulf and protected waters between Fort Pickens and Destin.

In an email to Melvin, Col. Michael Contratto, vice commander of Eglin's 46th Test Wing, said Eglin wants the local community to sign off on the idea before the base would move forward.

"Realizing this is a subject of passion for many residents of the local community, I 
would not want Eglin ... leadership to speculate on outcomes without a clear 
understanding of the full proposal and passing a level of community approval," 
Contratto wrote.

Melvin recognizes not everyone is in favor of reopening the pass.

"I know there is a lot of emotion on both sides," Melvin said. "This process will go through an environmental impact study. Folks with Ph.D.’s will study this and report back. This is probably a five-year process."

Commissioners are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to send a letter to the Air Force endorsing the study. None of the commissioners expressed opposition on Monday.

"As I have said in the past, I support the pass so long as it does not jeopardize ... the military mission," Commissioner Don Salter said. "Hopefully Eglin will be host as we move forward with this."

The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Navarre Area Board of Realtors support reopening a pass.

But others worry about what a pass might do to the environment.

Teresa Pack, president of the Navarre Beach Leaseholders and Residents Association, said she thinks boats and personal watercraft likely to use the pass would disrupt the grass beds in the sound that are nurseries for young sea life.

She also said such a pass could cut off the natural drift of sand that helps build the surrounding beach.

"I have experience from Gulf Shores, Ala., where they dug a small pass. Those people are constantly paying for beach nourishment," she said. "This is a terrible idea."

Navarre resident Bob Hartley, however, supports the pass.

"Today we have this opportunity to do something. Could it have a positive effect? It could," Hartley said. "We can support the military. We can support an opportunity to clean up the sound (by flushing it), and we can open up some possible economic benefit."


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