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.
Then and now
1921 to 1978The 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.


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
First American Road in Floridalisted 1998
Naval Live Oaks Reservationlisted 1998
Population over time
2 figuresGulf 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5,763 | |
| 2020 | 6,302 | +539 (+9%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1921 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:62500
- 1941 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:62500
- 1942 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1944 USGS Gulf Breeze quadrangle1:25000
- 1957 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Gulf Breeze quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1978 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
42 since 1992Regional 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/undetermined | 11 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2019 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Gulf Island National Seashore | NLO PICNIC |
| 8 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Gulf Island National Seashore | NLO HQ PARKING LOT |
| 8 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Gulf Island National Seashore | GROUP CAMP ROAD |
| 8 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Gulf Island National Seashore | VILLA TRAIL |
| 29 August 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 2 August 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 31 July 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Gulf Island National Seashore | BAYSHORE |
| 11 July 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 16 acres | Gulf Island National Seashore | NLO FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellview Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
32 since 1995Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2011 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | 1 hurt | A 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 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $50,000 | High 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 1998 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $40,000 | Lightning 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 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $40,000 | Four 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 2017 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $20,000 | Lightning strike caused a house fire on Autumn Breeze Circle. |
| September 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Gulf Breeze | $12,000 | An outer rainband from Hurricane Gustav produced a weak EF0 tornado in Gulf Breeze that caused tree damage. |
| August 2022 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $10,000 | Lightning struck a home near Gulf Breeze causing a fire. |
| February 2017 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $10,000 | Lightning strike resulted in smoke damage. |
| September 2014 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $10,000 | A lightning strike caused damage to a house and car. |
| July 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Gulf Breeze | $10,000 | Storm 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 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $8,000 | Several trees were blown down near Gulf Breeze by high winds from a thunderstorm. |
| August 2016 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $5,000 | Lightning struck a water main near a house causing water to flow into the house. |
| April 2015 | Lightning | Gulf Breeze | $5,000 | A lightning strike resulted in a house fire. |
| September 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Gulf Breeze | $3,000 | A 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 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $3,000 | Several 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 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $3,000 | Several trees were blown down in Gulf Breeze. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | $1,500 | Several trees and power lines were blown down in Gulf Breeze. |
| June 2023 | Heavy Rain | Gulf Breeze | - | Mesonet site recorded 9.04 inches of rain. |
| June 2023 | Flash Flood | Gulf Breeze | - | Heavy rain caused flooding and closed Gulf Breeze Parkway. |
| June 2023 | Heavy Rain | Gulf Breeze | - | Mesonet site at Gulf Breeze recorded 14.08 inches of rain. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | - | Measured by weather flow site XGBZ. |
| April 2021 | Flash Flood | Gulf Breeze | - | Video of flooding in Gulf Breeze with water nearly 3 feet deep along Maplewood Drive. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | - | The Weatherflow mesonet site in Gulf Breeze measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph. |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Gulf Breeze | - | Heavy rain caused flooding along Highway 98 throughout Gulf Breeze. |
| June 2012 | Flash Flood | Gulf Breeze | - | Heavy rain caused several roads to be closed in southern Santa Rosa County due to water over the road. |
| August 2001 | Waterspout | Gulf 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 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf 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 2000 | Hail | Gulf Breeze | - | Nickle size hail was reported in the community. |
| June 2000 | Waterspout | Gulf 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 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gulf Breeze | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Gulf Breeze | - | no account filed |
| March 2003 | Hail | Gulf Breeze | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oriole Beach | 4.0 miles | 17 | |
| Tiger Point | 5.9 miles | 18 | |
| Woodlawn Beach | 9.4 miles | 20 | |
| Dickerson City | 10.3 miles | 18 | |
| Avalon Beach | 12.4 miles | 15 | |
| Mulat | 13.6 miles | 15 | |
| Harp | 14.3 miles | 15 | |
| Holley | 15.0 miles | 20 |
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 Breeze | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q731333 | The 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.








