The Eastern Shore already holds a lot of appeal for potential residents, with numerous small towns just minutes from Mobile and under an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico. What many people may not realize is that the Eastern Shore is also the site of a natural phenomenon that has been a cause for celebration since it was first recorded in the 1860s. Locally known as a jubilee, each year an upward movement of oxygen in Mobile Bay forces thousands of bottom-dwelling fish and crustaceans up to much shallower waters. This can happen in an area as small as a 500-foot stretch of shore or, as has happened, over a stretch of fifteen miles reaching from Daphne to Mullet Point (most people believe jubilees of this size only happen in Mobile Bay and Tokyo, Japan). A

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After a unanimous vote held by Gulf Shores City Council, new vacation rental regulations will go into effect next year. These revisions were made to the business license ordinance.  The new guidelines include: monthly lodging tax reports must be submitted based on individual business licenses and a local contact must be designated for each rental dwelling in case of an emergency or complaint. In other news, Citizen-serve Software has been contracted to design a database that will keep track of all rental properties. The initial costs for this contract is $54,500 for the first year.  Under the new ordinance, property owners must have an emergency contact available at a moments notice. If the emergency contact fails to respond to a city employee’s call…

The Gulf Coast is experiencing a robust recovery. Tourism records set in 2011 were broken again in  2012 as visitors from across the country and the world flock to the Gulf Coast. The Gulf tourism industry  has seen a strong rebound in part due to BP monies. BP has supported the Gulf Coast tourism through  payments of:
• $179 million for state-led advertising campaigns • $7 million non-profit groups and government entities promoting tourism • A BP national advertising campaign that complemented these efforts to promote tourism along 
The Gulf Coast’s remarkably recovery is evidenced by:
• Taxable lodging revenue in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach set a new record in 2012, surpassing  the previous record set in 2011 by 15%. •…

Phoenix West II is 32 stories and almost 2 million square feet.  This makes the condominium the largest residential building in Alabama.  The project cost an estimated $245 million and sits directly on the Gulf of Mexico in West Orange Beach, AL.

Some owner's are currently furnishing their respective units even though some of the building's amenities are incomplete.  The indoor pool, outdoor lazy river and lobby furnishing are a few of the unfinished items on the punch list.

Complications began to bombard the condo in 2005 after its construction was approved by the Orange Beach city council.  First, the construction company's piling supplier in Pass Christian, MS was destroyed by hurricane Katrina.  This effectively pushed the opening date from mid

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According to CoreLogic, home prices rose 3.3% statewide compared to 2012. This trend continued across the state with a few exceptions during the month of September. Prices fell in Mobile along with four other metro areas that include Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Aurburn-Opelika and Dothan.

Distressed sales and foreclosures are dragging prices down in these areas, with the exception of Aurburn. In Mobile, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Dothan home prices would have increased if these short sales and foreclosures would have been excluded from the analysis.

According to Grayson Glaze, the executive director of the Alabama Center for Real Estate, he is optimistic regarding the home prices. He states “overall fundamentals in that market remain resilient,” with the

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After another record-breaking season of fun in the sun both guests and residents prompted the powers to approve a $48 million budget.  The plans include investing more in recreational facilities, strengthening public safety and provides a three percent cost-of-living raise to all city employees.

From the projected $48 million, $3 million is carried over from last year's budget, $25 million the city intends to draw, with $23 million carrying over from 2012.  Orange Beach expects to have a $4.5 million surplus for 2013 - $2.5 million more than expected - on December 31st.

"We had a huge surplus," Mayor Tony Kennon said.  "But you never know what next year brings, so, you know, make hay while the sun shines."  Total expenses in 2014 are expected to

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In 2009, Austal USA, located on Mobile's waterfront, set a goal to create 4,000 jobs for its U.S. base of operations.  The goal is on pace for realization by the end of 2013 according to representatives from the Australian ship builder.  When met, this will make Austal the largest private sector employer in Mobile County. "Our game plan is to level our to support both of our programs going forward," said president Craig Perciavalle, discussing the two different classes of ships currently being assembled at the sprawling facility on the waters of Mobile Bay. The employment figures are approximately five times higher than the 800 of the initial year in 2009.  Austal made a commitment to double its workforce in a two year window to facilitate the…

After three straight years of increases in the numbers of visitors and the economical benefits associated, Baldwin County is obviously gaining in popularity.  More people are visiting and spending more while they're here.

Over five million people visited the Alabama Gulf Coast in 2012 and spent $2.9 billion while visiting Baldwin County.  That's an increase of over 4 million visitors and over $100 million since 2011;  this year (2013) is slated to break these number and establish new record marks.

It's estimated the coastal cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, AL will generate an estimated $343 million in rentals this year, an increase  from $323 million in 2012 and $280 million in 2011.  These numbers were based from the Gulf Shores and Orange

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Local tourism officials expect the flights to boost the economy and none as much as the Alabama / Florida beaches along the Alabama Gulf Coast.  The trip to the beautiful white-sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Perdido Key, FL will be be much more accessible and from a variety of new locations with fewer lay overs for those flying in to the area.  The city of Pensacola is only 45 minutes East of Gulf Shores, closer still to Orange Beach and a mere 20 minutes to Perdido Key, Florida.  Mobile, AL is approximately an hour from Pensacola International Airport.  City officials from the beaches of Alabama are excited about the new option for people to reach their vacation destination.   Southwest is now offering twice-daily nonstop service…

Spanish Fort, AL Siren System

Spanish Fort, AL will be the first city in Baldwin County to install a siren system to act as an early warning alert system with the tornado portion beginning very soon.  "We'll probably go to bid on the tornado sirens in the next two months," said the mayor.  It is amazing to me that we'll be the first city in Baldwin County to have it."  The mayor explained the positioning of the sirens as being distributed from Mobile, East in to Spanish Fort in five locations.

"They go from one end of the city to the other," McMilan said.  "We're working with our grant-writing team and with Bruce Renkert to decide on a plan."  Renkert works as the building and zoning official in Spanish Fort.  Another important detail was the mayor

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