Coral Reef Condos will be rebuilt or sold

Well, the City Council got this one right. Coral Reef needs to be rebuilt...one way or another. Preferably, it will be a tear down and new construction as opposed to a refurbishment. My thoughts on the remaining damage from our recent hurricanes is that we need to finish the rebuilding process sooner as opposed to later. For example, the perception as viewed by the visiting tourists when they encounter the public beach access at Pompano Joes, cannot be one of progress when they see the remains of the damaged parking lot and no boardwalk system for beach access. Once again the repair and rebuilding is caught up in the bureaucratic process of our local and state governments. Time is of the essence as we approach another tourist season where visitors will report back to their friends and relatives as to the status of our beaches and infrastructure. The same applies to the Coral Reef Condo complex which currently stands along the western end of Scenic 98 wrapped in yellow "do not cross" tape. Not quite the first impression we'd like for our visitors to have when they make the turn from Matthew onto Scenic 98. We are approaching 2 years removed from hurricane Dennis and some damage remains almost untouched caught up in the political red tape. The councils action is at least a step in the right direction. And the end result for Coral Reef owners will be a just reward for their patience. Here's the story...

DESTIN - Is allowing Coral Reef Condominiums to rebuild its storm-smashed building on Scenic Highway 98 an act of charity or a giveaway to developers' The Destin City Council debated that question for more than two hours Tuesday before approving an agreement that will allow the owners to rebuild or sell the property. Coral Reef's board still has to approve the agreement. Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis have left the 50-unit building uninhabitable. The condominium association hasn't been able to rebuild because it is in a lawsuit over whether its parking area extends into the city's right of way. The agreement settles the lawsuit and allows Coral Reef to rebuild with larger condos, in return for positioning the new building to allow a view of the Gulf of Mexico from Matthew Boulevard.

Councilman Jim Bagby objected that the agreement waived some of the city's rules for a project of that size, such as how far it must be set back from the edge of the property. If a developer bought the property from the association, waiving the rules would give the developer "the keys to the kingdom." Councilman Cyron Marler said that if 50 Beach Drive homes had been destroyed, the council wouldn't hesitate to help them rebuild, so they shouldn't hesitate with Coral Reef 's owners. Councilman Dewey Destin proposed amending the agreement so the condos couldn't be more than 30 percent larger than before.

Coral Reef 's Marcia Hubert said the new units had to be larger to be valuable enough to justify the cost of rebuilding. The council voted 4-2 for Dewey Destin's amendment, with Marler and Sam Seevers voting no. The council then voted unanimously for the settlement agreement. Councilor Kelly Windes abstained from both votes.