Sandy Creek, Allanton and upper East Bay shoreline planning

Get to know your waterfront

This is the upper end of East Bay, an arm of St. Andrew Bay of about 18,700 acres fed by Sandy and Wetappo creeks and ten bayous. The Intracoastal Waterway enters East Bay through a cut in Wetappo Creek. Allanton and Sandy Creek are not among Bay County's seven cities, so county offices issue permits. Tyndall Air Force Base is a close neighbor, with its own reef work at Baker's Point.

St. Andrew Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management Plan (November 2017) · United States Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 12 (2026 edition) · GNIS Domestic Names - Florida (DomesticNames_FL.txt) · Community Status Book Report: Florida, Communities Participating in the National Flood Program (report date 10/28/2026) · New reef project at Tyndall AFB aims to protect against storms

Check the Ecosystem Management Area layer before drawing a wall

Bay County's Ecosystem Management Area (EMA) rules apply to East Bay. They limit what can sit near the water before any seawall or bulkhead design starts. LDR sec. 1905

• No building within 30 feet of mean high water (MHW, the average high-tide line) or the DEP wetland line.
• Piers and docks may cross that strip with one 10-foot cleared path.
• Native plants in the 30-foot strip stay.
• Stormwater is treated to Outstanding Florida Water standards, and septic systems sit at least 100 feet upland of the wetland line.
• No new sewage discharge points.

The comprehensive plan describes EMAs as undeveloped, unplatted rural or suburban land next to Class II waters, and it classes East Bay east of U.S. 98 as Class II. Comp plan Policy 6.7.4 Comp plan Policy 6.4.2 Ask Bay County Planning at (850) 248-8250 whether your parcel is inside the mapped area. Bay County Planning

A vertical wall, a sill or plants?

A living shoreline uses marsh plants, often behind a low rock or oyster sill set just offshore. NOAA describes these as options for sheltered bays and estuaries, not open beaches. NOAA guidance

Table sources: Rule 62-330.051(12)(e) Proposed Rule 62-330.604 NWP 54 NWP 13 The 2026 nationwide permits took effect March 15, 2026. USACE announcement The living shoreline guide and the permit guide cover each route.

Tyndall is testing reefs next door

On October 21, 2024, Tyndall began building a hybrid oyster reef of concrete modules and live oysters at Baker's Point. The Defense Department's Reefense program is spending $19.4 million across sites and aims to protect over 40 miles of base shoreline. Tyndall AFB

That work does not fund or regulate private lots. Bay County separately holds a $500,000 RESTORE Act award, dated December 2022, for an East Bay Living Shoreline and Seagrass Project. RESTORE Act award list

Michael's water near the base

NHC estimated 6 to 9 feet of surge above ground near Tyndall in St. Andrew Sound. Every building on the base was reported damaged, about $3 billion of Florida's estimated $18.4 billion total. NHC Michael report

One of Florida's five surge drownings happened near East Bay on the eastern side of the Panama City area, and all five victims were in surge evacuation zones. NHC Michael report Treat a wall here as erosion control, raise equipment, and leave when told. The storm guide has the details.

Other overlays on this shore

• Tyndall's Air Installation Compatibility Use Zones are a county overlay. Development over 50 feet tall in certain sections goes to the base for review. LDR sec. 1003
• Sandy Creek State Forest, 12,262 acres of upland bought by the state on June 10, 2025, will be managed by the Florida Forest Service. DEP Florida Forever
• The Maude Holmes ramp on Sandy Creek Road is a county saltwater ramp where commercial use is allowed. Bay County ramp list
• A restricted drone launch corridor runs through St. Andrew Sound to the Gulf under 33 CFR 334.770. Coast Pilot 5

Closer to town, Callaway and Parker run city permit offices. To the east, Mexico Beach faces open Gulf surge. County-wide steps are in the Bay County guide.

What could the work cost?

Public records show no local seawall price for this stretch of East Bay. Ask each bidder to quote a living shoreline or sill next to the vertical wall, and to show how equipment reaches the lot without clearing the 30-foot native strip.

No public record found in Bay or Gulf County shows what a private homeowner paid per foot for a seawall. This guide shows real public bids, FEMA worksheets and fee schedules instead, each with its year, place and scope.

Find the relevant permits and records

Prepare the questions for the responsible office.

Planning a shoreline on the marsh side of East Bay

Work through these before you commit to a wall, a sill or plants.

1. Look up the EMA layer

   Ask Bay County Planning whether the parcel is in the East Bay Ecosystem Management Area and where the 30-foot line falls.

   Bay County Land Development Regulations Chapter 19, Environmental Standards · Planning & Zoning | Bay County, FL

2. Map the marsh and seagrass

   Have the surveyor mark mean high water, the wetland line and any seagrass. Under NWP 13, work that reaches seagrass needs federal notice first.

   Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (full text), NWP 13

3. Ask for two designs

   Have the designer sketch a living shoreline or sill and a vertical wall, with the permit route for each.

   NOAA Fisheries: Understanding Living Shorelines · Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (full text), NWP 54

4. Check the base overlay

   Ask Planning whether the lot falls inside Tyndall's compatibility zones before you plan any new structure.

   Bay County Land Development Regulations Chapter 10, Special Treatment Zones

5. Know your evacuation zone

   Michael's surge near Tyndall reached an estimated 6 to 9 feet. Look up your zone on the county map before storm season.

   Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Michael (AL142018) · Property Protection & Flood Hazards

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Callaway & Parker on East Bay, Mexico Beach

View the local guide directory.