A literal act of Congress was necessary to allow an unprecedented transaction between Escambia County and the Navy. The idea is simple. Escambia County owns land in Santa Rosa County and NAS Whiting Field owns a helicopter airfield, known as NOLF (naval outlying field) Site 8, in Escambia County. EscambiaCounty wants to use the NOLF, but it’s a working airfield. So the plan is EscambiaCounty will exchange a piece of land it owns in Santa RosaCounty for NOLF Site 8.
Site 8 lies just west of the intersection of I-10 and 9 Mile Road, right next to Navy Federal Credit Union. The currently unnamed site is located between Chumuckla Highway and State Road 89 and south of Spanish Trail.
While the deal is not final, the mechanism to make it possible is contained within the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act, called H. R. 1451, introduced by Congressman Jeff Miller. Randy Roy, the community planning liaison officer with Whiting Field said, “The only way to go forward was the (NDAA) . . . Everything hinged on that bill.”
Why was this the case? Public Information Officer Jay Cope said, “There was no legal structure” in place to guide such a deal.
There are a number of firsts about this transaction. Roy noted disposals and acquisitions happen regularly. However, he said, “Nobody else is building an OLF,” which is Escambia’s part of the arrangement. Roy also noted when excess land becomes available, service organizations like government shelters typically get first rights to the land. However, this land isn’t excess. “You rarely have the opportunity where a non federal identity gets land,” Roy said.
Whiting officials stressed this proposal came unsolicited from EscambiaCounty. No one from the Escambia County Board of CountyCommissioners would comment on the proposal by press time, but some benefits to the county are clear with the improved land so close to I-10 and 9 Mile Road.
The unnamed site in Santa RosaCounty happens to lie in Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter’s district. He said, “When the conversation stated a few years back, my position always was if it’s good for Whiting Field, then I support it.”
There are benefits to NASWF which are both practical and more intangible. On the practical side, the unnamed site Whiting will receive is simply closer to Whiting Field than Site 8 so anyone going to the NOLF will spend less gas and students will then get more air time.
The new site will also be just that, new. Eric Seib, air operation officer for Whiting Field, noted the new site will be more modernized.
Salter also noted if the NOLF comes to Santa RosaCounty, the county will be able to “apply our buffering policies and our regulations…and not be dependent on some other county.”
If the NOLF comes to Santa Rosa County, Roy said, “If (the agreement) comes to fruition…all helicopter pilots will be trained completely in Santa RosaCounty (and) get their wings of gold.” Cope noted this meant initial training.
Miller, who introduced the bill, summed up the agreement. “The relocation of OLF-8 is an extraordinary opportunity for our area and the culmination of more than 20 years of hard work and planning,” Miller said. “The new site is free from encroachment and over 20 miles closer to Whiting Field, saving the Navy time and fuel. The current site is located in an area with access to Interstate 10 that is experiencing a healthy amount of economic growth, and it is an ideal location for a commerce park. This truly is a win for the community, the Navy, and the taxpayer.”
Between environmental reports, other preliminary work, and the construction at the new site, it is unclear for speculation when the actual swap will take place. Go to www.srpressgazette.com to find the text of Miller’s bill delineating the terms of the exchange agreement.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Escambia County and Whiting might swap land