Eddington’s remarks came after roughly a dozen residents urged the board to either scrap or scale back the project, noting that opponents were blaming the wrong people for development on Navarre Beach and their decision to move there contributed to the issue.
“A lot of y’all, and I put myself in the same spot. I caused some of this by moving here,” Eddington said. “Y’all caused it because y’all moved here. If you want to put it back like it was, move out of Santa Rosa County.”
Eddington, who lost re-election by 638 votes to local business owner Dean Light during the Aug. 18 Florida primary, called the audience hypocrites and backstabbers and said residents who live on the beach were part of the problem they were protesting.
“Tear your house down and move,” he said.
Eddington also tried to redirect the criticism from Tourist Development Director Julie White, saying the project came from him. Eddington stated that in 2019 he had been approached by residents seeking a convention center and had proposed tearing out the visitor center on U.S. 98 to build one, a plan the board declined.
“It wasn’t Julie. It was me,” Eddington said. “Come to me.”
Eddington also reiterated what he said at an Aug. 25 meeting in Tiger Point, saying he was willing to drop the planned restroom facility and parking lot associated with the project.
The project, which has been in development since 2019, would include a 10,000-square-feet of construction with an event space, a boardwalk, a food truck area, retail shops, a dune walkover and a parking lot. The county closed bidding on the project Sept. 3.
Commission Chairman Colten Wright said that the proposed land is county-owned and currently zoned as conservation and recreation, like the Navarre Beach Pier and the Windjammers restaurant.
Eddington closed his comments by saying the county should revisit lease rates on county-owned beach property, saying some businesses pay uneven rates.
“Windjammers pays five percent, Juana’s pays five percent. Turtle Center pays $1 a year,” he said. “Y’all need to make them start paying five percent….you’ll get more money to this county.”