Editor's note: The changes here reflect comments received and additional research done by the committee. Originally, the plan targeted the TRIUMPH Gulf Coast funding because those state Oil Spill dollars are designed to revitalize the areas hardest hit by that event. Subsequently, the committee learned from the economic experts at TRIUMPH that the proposed Island-style projects do not qualify for funding because they do not have recognizable economic impact on the Island.

The goal of the Civic Club's SGI 2025VISION is to identify improvements to the Island Business District that address our crowded and deteriorating infrastructure and features that will result in a more viable community and attractive place to live, work, and play.

Over the next seven years—or as many as it takes to implement this plan—our casual coastal community will become more safe for pedestrians and vehicles when flooding is reduced, inferior roadways are improved, and suitable parking is provided within the Business District. This Vision is grounded in maintaining the current height and density restrictions. As it is today, the Island will continue to be one of the economic engines for the county. Any additional proposed improvements will be scaled to be consistent with the laid-back, modestly-developed island that drew us here. We want to keep St. George, The Uncommon Florida.

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Photo by Issac Lang | [email protected]

Our Island Style will guide our progress.

• It favors understated infrastructure, rather than an over-built traffic engineering approach designed to keep consumers in their cars and to speed vehicles to their destination.
• It is different from most other coastal communities. With few national brands that create the “sameness” of other towns, the Island nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit of locally owned, casual businesses that contribute to our “quiet and laid-back” vibe. “We must keep our place:  St George Island.”
• It embodies a spirit of community that expresses our common values of responsibility for the natural environment and to our fellow man.

Our problems will not improve without intervention.

• We suffer with long-distressed infrastructure, flooded streets, eroding roadways and sidewalks, traffic gridlocks and parking hazards. Inadequate parking stifles and chokes off businesses. Illegal parking destroys private and public property, making them more susceptible to flooding and additional damage.
• Our business district lacks diversity from a reputation that some of our residents don’t support visitors or Island establishments.
• The business district has few features that reflect entertainment and recreation consistent with a modern tourist expectations.

Over the next seven years, the business district will be transformed into a distinctive, casual coastal community that is the economic engine for the Island and the county. Improvements, proposed by members of the Civic Club, fall within these categories: fundamental infrastructure to address parking, roadways, and sidewalks; additions that enhance existing amenities; and additional structures to provide recreational opportunities and economic development.