The Deepwater Horizon, a BP-operated oil-drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast, exploded April 20, 2010, eventually releasing almost 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf before being capped on August 4, 2010. The island has been subject to mandatory evacuation orders during some of these hurricanes. A section of the Pensacola Bay Bridge (known to locals as the Three Mile Bridge) was destroyed during Hurricane Sally. In 2020, Pensacola Beach took the brunt of the storm from Hurricane Sally, seeing widespread wind damage, storm surge flooding, and over 20 inches (510 mm) of rainfall. However, as with Erin several years earlier, the damage on Pensacola Beach was not nearly as extensive as predicted. On July 10, 2005, Hurricane Dennis made landfall between Pensacola Beach and eastern Navarre Beach. Ivan was the last hurricane to make Florida landfall in 2004, one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in decades. On September 16, 2004, Hurricane Ivan devastated the Pensacola Beach area, destroying more than 650 homes and damaging many others. Hurricane Erin made landfall in August, and Hurricane Opal blasted the island just two months later, leveling some dunes and destroying a number of homes. In 1995, two hurricanes made landfall on the island. Landfalling storms have been known to drive storm surge over the island, damaging or destroying man-made structures and causing beach erosion.
Hurricanes Īs a community located on a low-lying barrier island, Pensacola Beach is vulnerable to hurricanes. The average temperature ranges from 48 ☏ (9 ☌) in January to 89 ☏ (32 ☌) in July. As such, winter lows are several degrees warmer than Pensacola proper and summer highs are generally cooler as a result of the surrounding waters.Īs with many islands, Pensacola Beach enjoys sea breezes which begin around noon and end around sunset in the summer, and there are often afternoon thunderstorms. While generally cooler than most of peninsular Florida, Pensacola Beach maintains a more stable temperature year round than inland areas of Pensacola and Escambia County. It is bordered to the south by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Santa Rosa Sound and Pensacola Bay, and to the east and west by the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
As a result, all structures on the island have 99-year renewable leases with the SRIA rather than ownership of the land itself. In order to promote infrastructure and growth on the island, the federal government leased the lands now encompassing Pensacola Beach to the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), which in turn has leased the property to homeowners. The entire island was initially owned by the federal government. With a bar, tennis courts, bath houses, and a restaurant, it was a popular resort until it eventually closed in the 1960s. The Casino Resort was the first tourist destination constructed on the island (at the present day location of Casino Beach) where a variety of special events including beauty pageants, fishing tournaments, and boxing matches were held from the 1930s through 1950s. Pensacola Beach for many years remained largely undeveloped. Hurricanes in 17 forced its relocation to the mainland. A presidio was constructed on Santa Rosa Island in 1722 near the location of the more recent Fort Pickens. Suffering long-term famine and fighting, this first settlement was finally abandoned in 1561. A hurricane decimated the colony a few weeks later, killing hundreds and sinking five ships. His 11 ships, with 1500 settlers, anchored in the bay and established its colony on the site of today's Naval Air Station Pensacola. In 1559, Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano led the first settlement of the region. He anchored in Pensacola Bay for the winter of 1539–1540. History Also see: History of Pensacola, Florida.įrancisco Maldonado, a lieutenant under Conquistador Hernando de Soto, visited the area during the early Spanish exploration of North America.
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