Will Coastal Development Pressures In Florida Move Inland?

"According to Larry Davis, who has sold real estate in the Florida Panhandle for 15 years, 'nothing can compete with Seaside,' the original New Urbanist community where pastel-colored houses carry million-dollar price tags.

But his new development, Owl's Head, near Freeport, Fla., has something Seaside can't offer: elevation.

'It's a pretty slow rise as you drive up from the beach,' Mr. Davis said. 'But by the time you get to Owl's Head' â€" due north of Seaside and about 15 miles inland â€" 'you're at about 100 feet.'

By Florida standards, he said, 'this is nosebleed country.'

And that, to some buyers, could be a blessing. After two seasons in which hurricanes battered the Gulf Coast, destroying houses and much of the beach itself, some customers may like the idea of living inland, where they are protected from storm surges."