Maintenance groundskeeper and resident Rex Best blow leaves away from the office building at the Milton / Gulf Pines KOA Campground in Milton on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Credit: GREGG PACHKOWSKI/GREGG@PNJ.COM
The northern parts of Santa Rosa County, Fla., have long celebrated their agrarian nature, as opposed to the beachier culture that dominates the south end, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
The county’s AGRI-PLEX hub was completed late last year, and its fairgrounds bring in crowds who enjoy and appreciate what the more rural aspects of the county have to offer.
Part of that offer is campgrounds. And with them comes a culture of RV parks and resorts that host temporary on-site workers, snowbirds, short-term vacationers and traveling professionals, all of whom share a space that exudes serenity and comfort.
“You know, it’s, I think, the rising cost of housing, the rising cost of renting something here. I think RV style has just gone crazy,” said Dede Rhyne, who runs the Milton/Gulf Pines KOA Holiday in Milton.
Why here?
As of late, there has been a push to build more RV parks in and around the Milton area. There were two proposals that included future RV parks at the county’s Jan. 13 zoning board meeting alone.
Santa Rosa County District 3 Commissioner James Calkins represents chunks of Pace and Milton, and the entirety of the northern part of the county. He said an unexpanded supply and an increased demand for the RV lifestyle is what is driving the desire to cash in on building the parks while they are hot.
“What happens is you have only so many RV parks, and the prices have gone up. And so that creates a want to make money for private businesses because there’s a lot of money to be made,” Calkins said. “Because a lot of people buy an RV in the north and want to park them to be in warm, sunny Florida.”
