Earth Day Celebration

PBA is hosting the Island's 4th Earth Day celebration on Saturday May 3, 2014 at Casino Beach on Pensacola Beach. The event includes a community yard sale, ECUA recycling, free shredding, household goods donation to Goodwill, kid activities, and Sea Turtle Homecoming celebration. For more information.

About PBA

The purpose of Pensacola Beach Advocates, Inc. (PBA) is to educate and inform leaseholders, public officials and other interested parties about matters affecting the controlled development of our community and to protect the public lands of Pensacola Beach for the benefit of its leaseholders and for all the citizens of Escambia County and beyond.

PBA acts as a voice for the stakeholders on the Island. Members are kept updated on current issues facing the Beach through the PBA web site, viewpoints presented in the local media, occasional meetings and an e-mail network. While representing the majority view of its members (as determined by periodic polls and meetings), the PBA recognizes that some issues are complex and there are many valid points of view that need to be respected.

Read Article about PBA Accomplishments

Why Be a Member of PBA?

• Stay updated on important issue facing Pensacola Beach
• Get involved and have your voice heard
• Membership is open to all residents, leaseholders and those with business interests on the beach and costs only $30 per year.

Membership information

Important Issues on Pensacola Beach

• Taxation of leasehold improvements and land
• Hurricane evacuation and re-entry
• SRIA vs. County Administration
• Controlled development of a Barrier Island
• Protection of the Island environment
• Preserving our sense of community

Stay Connected with PBA

You can get involved by:

• Join PBA for $30 per year for your household
• Follow us on Facebook          
• Volunteer to be on a committee or on our Board of  Directors

Membership Renewal Online

2014 Membership dues are payable now. Your 2013 membership dues expire on 12/31/2013. Anyone who has paid dues since Sept 1st is current for 2014.

New members can join online on this website - you can pay online or a mail a check after creating your profile. Join Now.

How To Renew

If you receive periodic emails from PBA, then you are in our database. Your user id is your email address. To renew or update your membership at this website you have to login and view your profile. 

1. Enter your email address in the teal box at the top right of the screen. If you do not know your password, click the Forgot Password link. Enter your email address and the code displayed in the form. You will get a Password reset email. Follow the instructions to reset.
   
2. Once you have logged in successfully click View Profile link in upper right corner of the screen to update your member/contact information.
   
3. There is a button in the lower right part of the screen to renew your membership. We accept payments via Paypal. You can use your credit to pay your membership even if you do not have a Paypal account.

Florida Supreme Court Rules Against Leaseholders on Pensacola Beach

In a pair of unanimous opinions issued on March 20, 2014, the Florida Supreme Court approved of the county’s assessment and collection of ad valorem real property taxes for certain leaseholds on Santa Rosa Island.  The Court found that Pensacola Beach leaseholders have “virtually all the benefits and burdens of ownership.” This effectively makes them the private owners subject to property taxation.  The cases largely put to rest the decades long debate over beach leasehold taxes. Visit our website for more information and links to the two recent court opinions.

With these rulings, the tax collector will soon begin efforts to collect any outstanding property taxes.  The beach leaseholders’ lawyers will seek a reasonable grace period before enforcement efforts begin and try to negotiate the assessed interest payments.  The lawyers will also consider and advise us whether they will seek a rehearing by the Florida Supreme Court or whether they will continue to challenge the assessment of taxes on the land (the Court’s decision specifically address Pensacola Beach improvements and not land taxes).  However, to avoid additional interest accruing or the sale of tax deeds, Pensacola Beach leaseholders should consult with tax professionals and prepare to pay any outstanding real property taxes due.  And as the lawsuit challenging the 2013 taxes was late and likely will be dismissed, everyone should pay their 2013 property taxes by the March 31, deadline.

With these rulings, Pensacola Beach Advocates will invigorate its efforts to ensure Pensacola Beach leaseholders are not subject to a de facto double taxundefined from real property taxes and lease fees.  We will work to eliminate the lease fees and obtain refunds of past double payments.  We will talk to local leaders and continue to push the U.S. Senate to pass legislation like the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act (H.R. 2954) that would allow leaseholders to purchase their land fee simple, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2014. 

Attend the PBA Town Hall meeting on April 14th to learn more.

Show Your Support for PBA's Efforts

We have been receiving many emails from leaseholders on Pensacola Beach who have many questions about fee simple title and the latest twist in the tax lawsuit.

Please read previous newsletters and blog postings on the background of lease fees, taxation, tax lawsuits, fee simple title.

View History of Tax related postings from PBA Blog

The Pensacola Beach Advocates organization has been involved in these important issues for years. These issues are complex and there are no simple solutions. We share your concerns and we do our best to keep our members (and non-members) updated on these important issues.

If you are concerned and want to support us please join (or renew your membership) PBA and make your annual donation of $30.

Join or Renew

Fee-Simple Legislation Introduced to Congress

Update: On February 7th, the Pensacola News Journal reported that the US House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that would allow residents of Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach on Santa Rosa Island to secure titles to their leasehold land and pay property taxes on it. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, now heads to the Senate.

PBA worked with the staff of Escambia County and Santa Rosa County on the language of the draft legislation, and we are please to see it finally move forward.

Read the full article on our Blog