County Park West

Gulf Breeze, Florida

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As land bound by a U.S. Department of Interior deed dating 1947, Santa Rosa Island is inhabited by long-term lease residents and businesses. The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) was given control of the lands by the federal government and leases parcels for 99 years. Public beach accesses to the Gulf of Mexico are maintained by SRIA. Parking lots are labeled A-H, starting with A at the westernmost county access point. Areas designated as part of the Gulf Island National Seashore border the county access sites on the west and east ends. Some parking areas may be on the soundside of the island with dune crossovers provided. Lifeguards are seasonal. Visitors enjoy swimming, sunbathing, fishing and snorkeling. Fishing regulations/licenses may apply. Onsite amenities vary. Showers and restrooms may not be available at all access points.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on January 24th, 2022. Emerald Coastkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on January 24th, 2022 at 3:57 PM.

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Current Weather

26°C

Cloudy with a few clear breaks

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Escambia County Beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Monitoring results are collected on two schedules, weekly and bi-weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays and results are posted onto the Florida Healthy Beaches website Thursday. Samples will be collected the following week if bacteria counts exceed acceptable levels. Samples are collected year round at some Florida beaches, however the monitoring season for most beaches in Escambia County is from March to November. Selected beaches are monitored on both weekly and bi-weekly schedules year round.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

Water Quality Graph