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Gulf Breeze, Florida

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1921 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Gulf Breeze census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32561. The Survey maps it on the Gulf Breeze quadrangle. 6,302 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 16 feet above sea level.

Gulf Breeze within Santa Rosa County

Then and now

1921 to 1978

The same ground, surveyed 57 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Gulf Breeze, surveyed 1978
Topographic sheet of Gulf Breeze, surveyed 1921

On record in Gulf Breeze

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Gulf Breeze grew from 5,763 to 6,302 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20105,763
20206,302+539 (+9%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

42 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 42 fires within 5 miles of Gulf Breeze between 1992 and 2020, burning about 479 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Recreation and ceremony8
Equipment and vehicle use6
Misuse of fire by a minor6
Smoking3
Debris and open burning3
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Natural1
Other causes1
Arson/incendiarism1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 September 2019Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreGulf Island National SeashoreNLO PICNIC
8 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGulf Island National SeashoreNLO HQ PARKING LOT
8 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGulf Island National SeashoreGROUP CAMP ROAD
8 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGulf Island National SeashoreVILLA TRAIL
29 August 1993Equipment and vehicle use40 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
2 August 2001Railroad operations and maintenance1.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
31 July 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGulf Island National SeashoreBAYSHORE
11 July 2015Recreation and ceremony16 acresGulf Island National SeashoreNLO FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Santa Rosa County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Gulf Breeze: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bellview PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Santa Rosa County

Storms near this place

32 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gulf Breeze in 32 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 10 thunderstorm wind, 8 lightning, 4 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2011LightningGulf Breeze1 hurtA 40 year old male was struck by lightning at the intersection of Avalon blvd and Tuscarora trail. After the strike the man noticed his pants were burned...the hairs on his arm singed...and he complained of a severe headache. He was transported to a local hospital.
October 2001Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$50,000High thunderstorm winds blew down a large scoreboard at Gulf Breeze High School. Several trees were also blown down, and a few light weight structures were also damaged.
July 1998LightningGulf Breeze$40,000Lightning started a fire in a wooded area around Gulf Breeze. The fire burned for about five hours and destroyed 150 acres of land. No one was injured and no homes were damaged.
January 1995Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$40,000Four homes in the Sterling Point subdivision suffered roof and siding damage from severe thunderstorm winds. Fences were torn down and garage doors and windows were also broken.
January 2017LightningGulf Breeze$20,000Lightning strike caused a house fire on Autumn Breeze Circle.
September 2008Tornado (EF0)Gulf Breeze$12,000An outer rainband from Hurricane Gustav produced a weak EF0 tornado in Gulf Breeze that caused tree damage.
August 2022LightningGulf Breeze$10,000Lightning struck a home near Gulf Breeze causing a fire.
February 2017LightningGulf Breeze$10,000Lightning strike resulted in smoke damage.
September 2014LightningGulf Breeze$10,000A lightning strike caused damage to a house and car.
July 1999Tornado (F0)Gulf Breeze$10,000Storm damage occurred near Garcon Point, northeast of Gulf Breeze. A 12X24 section of tin roof on a home was damaged along with power lines down. The damage was caused by a possible waterspout moving inland off of Pensacola Bay.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$8,000Several trees were blown down near Gulf Breeze by high winds from a thunderstorm.
August 2016LightningGulf Breeze$5,000Lightning struck a water main near a house causing water to flow into the house.
April 2015LightningGulf Breeze$5,000A lightning strike resulted in a house fire.
September 2004Tornado (F0)Gulf Breeze$3,000A fast moving tornado moved into Santa Rosa county from Escambia county. The weak tornado entered the county southeast of Gulf Breeze and moved rapidly west northwest before dissipating just west of Gulf Breeze. The tornado caused minor damage. The area had been evacuated due to Hurricane Ivan.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$3,000Several trees were blown down in Gulf Breeze. This was the second thunderstorm to move through the city during the morning hours that caused wind damage.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$3,000Several trees were blown down in Gulf Breeze.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze$1,500Several trees and power lines were blown down in Gulf Breeze.
June 2023Heavy RainGulf Breeze-Mesonet site recorded 9.04 inches of rain.
June 2023Flash FloodGulf Breeze-Heavy rain caused flooding and closed Gulf Breeze Parkway.
June 2023Heavy RainGulf Breeze-Mesonet site at Gulf Breeze recorded 14.08 inches of rain.
April 2021Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze-Measured by weather flow site XGBZ.
April 2021Flash FloodGulf Breeze-Video of flooding in Gulf Breeze with water nearly 3 feet deep along Maplewood Drive.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze-The Weatherflow mesonet site in Gulf Breeze measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph.
August 2016Flash FloodGulf Breeze-Heavy rain caused flooding along Highway 98 throughout Gulf Breeze.
June 2012Flash FloodGulf Breeze-Heavy rain caused several roads to be closed in southern Santa Rosa County due to water over the road.
August 2001WaterspoutGulf Breeze-A large waterspout was observed by several people over Pensacola Bay. The waterspout was moving north across the bay and dissipated just before the storm moved ashore. The large spout was visible for several minutes.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze-A wind gust of near 60 mph was estimated at a local market during a thunderstorm in Gulf Breeze. No damage was reported from the high winds.
March 2000HailGulf Breeze-Nickle size hail was reported in the community.
June 2000WaterspoutGulf Breeze-A waterspout was observed over Santa Rosa Sound near Gulf Breeze. The waterspout remained over water for several minutes before dissipating over the Sound.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindGulf Breeze-no account filed
April 2010HailGulf Breeze-no account filed
March 2003HailGulf Breeze-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Santa Rosa County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Oriole Beach4.0 miles17
Tiger Point5.9 miles18
Woodlawn Beach9.4 miles20
Dickerson City10.3 miles18
Avalon Beach12.4 miles15
Mulat13.6 miles15
Harp14.3 miles15
Holley15.0 miles20

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Gulf BreezeAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q731333The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 283485. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.