Posted on September 2, 2026
It took 22 years for Navarre Beach homeowner Gary Turner to undertake the renovation of a beachfront home that was rendered uninhabitable in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan.
And now, about eight months into a significant rehabilitation effort, Turner may well have to face the realization that he waited too long to get serious about the project and relied too heavily on a court ruling that ultimately didn’t go his way.
The long-neglected and badly dilapidated property at the end of Gulf Boulevard bordering the Gulf Islands National Seashore has become infamously known as the Turner House.
Turner’s interest in repairing the property at 7315 Gulf Blvd. that he’d purchased for $2.2 million in November 2003 seems to have peaked following an April 2025 ruling that empowered Santa Rosa County to foreclose on the structure.
Circuit Court Judge Clifton Drake based his decision on his own interpretation of the term “good repair,” which is used in the Navarre Beach homeowner lease that governs each owner’s standard of care for their property.
“The structure is uninhabitable and has been uninhabitable for many years,” Drake wrote in his order granting a summary judgment. “The court concludes that the ordinary meaning of good repair includes, at a minimum, that the house be habitable.”
Turner reacted to that order the following August by putting down an $85,000 bond to stay Drake’s ruling until an appeal could be heard and adjudicated.
In January of this year, the Colorado resident attended a Santa Rosa County Commission meeting to request a settlement of ongoing litigation in exchange for being allowed to regain control of his beach property and bring it back to life.
Turner argued to the governing board that his appeal had “a substantial likelihood of success.”
His request for a settlement was denied. Commissioners made it clear that they considered more than two decades of neglect of the property evidence of a lack of good faith.
Florida’s First District Court of Appeal on Aug. 28 came down firmly on the side of Drake and the County Commission, ruling “per curiam” to deny Turner’s appeal.
A per curiam decision is a court opinion issued in the name of the court, acting as one, rather than specific judges, according to the Cornell Law School website. Per curiam opinions typically address issues the court views as relatively noncontroversial.
Santa Rosa County Attorney Tom Dannheisser said the Appeals Court ruling makes it quite likely that the foreclosure order will not be overturned.
“They can ask for rehearing, but after a ‘per curiam’ decision that’s highly unlikely,” Dannheisser said in an email.
Turner has 15 days to seek a rehearing in the case. If that doesn’t happen or if the hearing is rejected, the appeals court will issue a mandate, Dannheisser said. At that time, barring another stay of the judge’s order, Turner’s lease to the property will be terminated.
Efforts to reach Turner and Charles Beall, his attorney for the appeal, were not successful.
Unique home, unique history
The land at 7315 Gulf Blvd. was first leased in 1992, property records show. Because Santa Rosa County owns Navarre Beach, residents who own homes there lease the land from the county.
The 6,340-square-foot red brick home was unique among the brightly colored mansions that typically hug the coastline along Gulf Boulevard in Navarre Beach. It was one of four that Turner and his now ex-wife owned or still own on the island.
On Sept. 16, 2004, Hurricane Ivan made landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 hurricane. Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were hit heavily by the strongest of the storm’s sustained 120 mph winds.
While the rest of Navarre Beach rebuilt after the storm, the Turner House remained in a state of disrepair, complete with blown-out windows, graffiti on the pilings and hazardous exterior and interior conditions.
It quickly became an eyesore for neighbors, who said the unsightly building brought down their property values and scared away potential vacation renters. There was talk among local residents about loud parties on the site and homeless activity.
The county first sued the Turners in late 2016, alleging more than $30,000 in unpaid lease payments and $10,000 in water and sewer payments across all four of the properties.
Officials sought to terminate the Turners’ lease and evict them from their properties on the grounds that they violated their lease agreement by not making the payments and by failing to keep their property in “good repair, properly painted, and clean and sanitary.”
In 2021, Santa Rosa County lawyers announced they’d reached a settlement agreement via mediation with Turner and his then-wife, Staci. The agreement laid out a four-phase, 180-day timeline for the Turners to complete needed repairs and construction projects on the home to make it safe and bring it up to code.
