Perdido Beach Considered Incorporation in 2008
In 2008, Perdido Beach residents discussed incorporating their waterfront community to guide future growth and preserve its character.
Historical report preserved from an archived 2008 local news story.
Residents of Perdido Beach in Baldwin County were considering incorporation in 2008 as a way to guide future development and preserve the community’s waterfront character. The community, on the western shore of Perdido Bay near the Alabama-Florida line, was described at the time as one of Baldwin County’s remaining relatively undeveloped waterfront areas.
Residents said they wanted a greater voice in decisions affecting the community and did not want large-scale condominium or tourism development to reshape it.
Community leaders estimated incorporation could cost about $230,000 and said the expense might be covered through sales tax and other revenue. The report said a vote could occur by the end of the year and that most of the community’s roughly 500 residents supported the idea.
How the vote played out
In Alabama, an unincorporated community seeks town status by petitioning the county probate judge, who calls an election if the petition meets the requirements of state law; if a majority of voters approve, the judge declares the new municipality incorporated.
The Perdido Beach vote came the following spring rather than by the end of 2008. Residents approved incorporation in an election on April 21, 2009, and on June 10, 2009, Baldwin County Probate Judge Adrian Johns issued an order declaring the Town of Perdido Beach incorporated.
