Incorporation effort back in swing

Incorporation for Navarre may be back on the table if local organizers can garner the support needed to make it a reality.

Les Nichols, chief executive officer for Navarre Properties, along with other residents, is trying to revive the effort to make Navarre a city. Nichols moved to Navarre from Orlando more than 10 years ago after getting out of the Marine Corps.

"I liked how small and quiet it was, but I didn't realize that there was nothing going on here," he said. While he was excited when businesses like Walmart and Publix began popping up in the area, development quickly halted as the economy took a downward turn.

He said Navarre needed to be incorporated so it would have more local control over recruiting businesses and increasing tourism. Having more businesses would create more jobs for people in Navarre, according to Nichols, allowing more people to live and work here. More beautification along U.S. Highway 98 would make Navarre a more desirable place for people to stop instead of continuing on to Destin.

For more on this story, see the Sept. 15 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe online.