Alan: It took some time but I got the details on the money from the land in Sandestin. The land was originally set aside in Sandestin's DRI for a school site. Although we had an academy at Sandestin for a number of years, I am not sure that we used this particular site for the academy. In planning for the new South Walton High School, we decided that the site at Sandestin was too small for any full use school. When we finished building the new South Walton High School, we closed the academy and move those kids to the new high school. Sandestin asked if they got the property's use changed in their DRI and sold the property, could they donate the proceeds to the school district. Obviously we accepted the proposal. On August 26, 1997, we passed a Resolution 97-16 in which we agreed to the proposal and that the funds would go to the Walton County Instructional Communications and Technology Foundation, Inc. The foundation was set up to raise funds to pay for technology and communications equipment for our schools.
The foundantion received $268,066.00 on November 19, 1998. Of that amount, $58,003.00 went to V.R. Butler Elementary, $22,000.00 went to Freeport High, $69,216.00 to Bay School, $58,800 to Sandestin Academy (eventually part of South Walton High School), $2,603 to Paxton School and $5,000.00 to West DeFuniak Elementary School. The balance of $52,444.00 was subsequently, in later years, split among the various schools. It looks like that balance of the money was used as late as 2003 for various technology grants to the schools.
As for the price received, I really do not remember whether there were questions about the amount received or not. I hope this information is useful or at least let you know what happened to the money we received from Sandestin. Thanks.
