Residents up in arms as development starts on Florida golf course lost in hurricane

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Leaked information about a possible development on the former Hombre Golf Course has sparked major concerns for some residents.

The course once was a pillar in Panama City Beach enjoyed by locals, tourists and even training PGA professionals.

Now, more than three years after it closed because of damage caused by Hurricane Michael, the once championship-level course is basically a blank canvas for construction.

This has left some residents living in the surrounding area nervous their property values might drop—annoyed they no longer live along a golf course—and scared future growth on the Hombre’s footprint could dramatically increase traffic in their neighborhoods.

“It was a prime golf course in its heyday,” said Tom Trossen, president of the Glades Homeowners Association. “We had pros coming here to go to school to earn their tour cards. Many of them played in our backyards, and many of them played with the original owners in the Glades.

“We had some expectations. Whether they were true expectations or false hopes, it was a beautiful course to live on.”

Those hopes turned to nightmares in recent months as Glades residents discovered plans for a potential project they believe could shake the fabric of their neighborhood if approved.

According to Trossen, a Glades homeowner, whose name he did not reveal, learned through ways he would not release that the construction of an apartment complex is being considered on a portion of course property now owned by Fussell Real Estate Holdings.

Registered out of North Carolina, the company purchased in 2020 about 70 acres of land on the former course — about three acres of which currently are being developed into a Duplin Winery.

Trossen said that once he learned about the possible apartment complex, he began digging into how and where it could go. He then sent his “back of the envelope” calculations to Jonathan Fussell, a managing partner of Fussell Real Estate Holdings and co-owner of the winery, who he said confirmed a developer had approached his real estate group about purchasing almost 20 acres of his 70 acres to build a complex.

While Fussell said this was true, he noted nothing was set in stone, and all plans for the rest of his Hombre property — other than where the winery is going — still are fluid.

He also said the apartment complex is just one of a few developments his group is considering for its land.

“We have talked about a lot of different concepts coming to the property, and there’s a lot of moving parts right now that we’re really just trying to figure out,” Fussell said. “I was asked if apartments are things that I’ve looked at, and I have talked to some apartment folks, but … nothing has been finalized.”

Fussell also said that he understands why surrounding residents would be wary of any new developments in the area, considering many purchased their homes with the belief they always would live on a golf course.

However, things change, and Fussell cannot help who approaches his group about buying a slice of its land.

Still, Fussell said he would not want any future developments to be built on the property that do not mesh well with the community. He plans to move to Panama City Beach to help run the winery when it opens next year.

“We, of course, want to be good neighbors to everybody,” Fussell said. “I don’t want anything right there that I would not be proud of.”

Work is underway for a Duplin Winery, which is being built on a portion of land previously known as the Hombre Golf Course in Panama Beach City, Florida. (Photo: Nathan Cobb/The News Herald)

While Trossen said he and many Glades residents support the winery, they strongly oppose the construction of a nearby apartment complex, which they fear might have entrances that connect to their residential roadways.

“When we first heard of the potential use of the property … it was concerning,” Trossen said. “Traffic has been a concern in our neighborhood for a number of years because of the cut-through nature of (our residential roads. It could be) highly detrimental to the Glades if an apartment complex is allowed to be built that has access to our single-family streets.”

He also said Fussell shared with him the working design for the complex that was proposed to his group, which shows it being built on a sliver of land north of Coyote Pass. From there, it was suggested to have three entrances — one that links to the winery’s parking lot, which will connect to North Glades Trail, and two others that attach to Coyote Pass.

Since PCB’s land development code states the primary entrance of a multi-family development with more than 150 units cannot be located on a street used as the main access to a residential community, Mel Leonard, building and planning director for Panama City Beach, said those proposed plans would have to be tweaked for the project to work.

North Glades Trail, which is located off Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road), is a primary access into the Glades community.

“Connecting (the apartments’ main entrance) to the parking lot would not comply with the land development code, and it certainly would not be able to connect to Coyote Pass or North Glades Trail either,” said Leonard, who noted the main entrance to the apartment complex would have to connect to Back Beach Road.

If it was built in that way, then it is possible the theoretical complex could have secondary entry points that attach to surrounding roads other than the city’s main highway. However, Leonard said those still are issues his department would have to study.

While this might not eliminate all the concerns of Glades residents, Beach City Councilman Phil Chester said it is against state law for officials to veto a proposed development that does not violate land ordinances just because it might increase traffic, even if residents are upset.

“That property is zoned commercial high-intensity, so there’s a lot of projects that could be done (there),” Chester said. “If it meets all the codes and all the specs, there’s nothing that the city can do as far as stopping the project.”