Frequently Asked Questions About
Sunny Hills, Florida
The Sunny Hills Community was platted in
1971 and 1972 as a community for about 60,000 residents
on 24,301 residential lots. Its land area is about 28
square miles (17,743 acres) and is almost 5% of the land
area in Washington County. With 220 miles of roads, it
has 55% of all the paved roads in the county. The
original subdivider, The Deltona Corporation, is still
active in the community selling lots and tracts of land.
The Community was divided into 25 “units”
as part of the platting and the commercial and community
services areas are located to serve several residential
and multi-family units. Land is divided into land use
districts rather than the more conventional zoning
categories, and the deed restrictions are written for
each type of land use district within each unit, i.e., a
commercial district will have slightly different deed
restrictions from residential or multifamily districts.
Compliance with the deed restrictions is achieved for
new construction by obtaining approval of plans from the
Architectural Design Committee operated by The Deltona
Corporation.
Since the Civic Association is not a
homeowners association, enforcement of deed restrictions
is up to the neighborhood through the court system as
Washington County does not have Code Enforcement
ordinance by citation and does not enforce deed
restrictions unless violations are also a county issue.
Recreational Facilities
Within Sunny Hills in addition to the
18-hole golf course, there are 9 designated county boat
ramps and/or parks, Wilder Park with an enclosed
pavilion and skateboarding ramps, the Boat Lake swimming
beach operated by the Civic Association, and a further
18 county boat ramps and/or parks within a 30 minute
drive. Within Sunny Hills in Unit 12 (northeast Sunny
Hills) is the third highest elevation in Florida at Sand
Mountain (296’).
Immediately south of Sunny Hills is a 41,000 acre water
management area with over 45 miles of hiking and
horseback trails, canoeing, and primitive camping.
About 18 miles to the west is the Choctawhatchee River
and watershed/basin with thousands of acres of
conservation protected lands and boat landings. For
those who like shooting sports, within about 12 miles
are located the Hard Labor Creek Plantation,
www.floridaquail.com,
for quail and deer hunting, bass fishing, overnight
accommodations and a skeet club and 3-D archery range.
Also, northwest of Sunny Hills is El Rancho Lake & Lodge
Hunting Preserve,
www.elranchohunting.info,
which is the only licensed duck shooting preserve in
Florida.
Salt water fishing is less than 1-hour
away in Panama City and Panama City Beach. Also in
Panama City and Panama City Beach are 14 more golf
courses with 15 more to the north in south Alabama, plus
the renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
The Washington County Tourist Development
Council (TDC) provides fund grants to 28 annual events
throughout the county that include the 3-day Watermelon
Festival in June, historic festivals, two tractor pulls
that draw from several states, a very active Spanish
Trail Playhouse amateur theatre group, art shows, the
annual Downtown Chipley festival, and many others.
www.VisitWashingtonCountyFL.com
Additionally, there are many hobby groups
for almost every interest, as well as civic service
groups such as Kiwanis, Lions, Women’s Club, the Chamber
of Commerce, and others.
If you can’t find something interesting
to do, you’re just not actively looking!
Community Organizations & Facilities
Sunny Hills Civic Association, Inc.,
is the largest organization within the community.
Membership is by application, see the appropriate
webpage, and dues are currently $10 per person per year
for adults and children 18 years and older. Dues are
payable on October 1st of each year for the
fiscal year. In addition to sponsoring events such as
the community anniversary picnic, a holiday party, and
other events, the Association operates the Boat Lake
Swimming Beach and Pavilion, which offers family
oriented fun in a water setting plus the facility and
pavilion are available to rent for special occasions
with advanced booking. The Boat Lake facility has a
total of 44 acres on a hill sloping down to the lake,
and someday it will be the location of a community
center with meeting rooms, exercise center, tennis, a
walking trail, and other amenities for the members. The
Association normally meets on the first Thursday of each
month, except December, and sometimes adjourns during
July and August if the membership votes to suspend
meetings. The Civic Association is a Florida non-profit
corporation with an IRS designation under Chapter
501(c)(4), Civic League, which means it’s tax exempt but
donations are not tax deductible as they would be for a
charity.
www.SunnyHillsFlorida.org
The
Sunny Hills Golf & Country Club,
part of The Deltona Corporation, operates a 18-hole golf
course, club house with pro shop and restaurant with hot
food and daily specials. Brunch cooked to order is also
available on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Cold beer is
available too. The course and clubhouse are open to the
public, but memberships are also available for
preferential tee times and services at the Silver
Member, Gold Member, and Platinum Member levels, as well
as a Frequent Player Card (Florida Residents only), and
the 10 Play Ticket. More information is available at
www.SunnyHillsGolfandCountryClub.com or call (850)773-3619.
Sunny
Hills Crime Patrol, Inc.,
a Florida non-profit corporation, organized in October
1996, to provide additional area patrol capabilities.
While not an auxiliary of the Sheriff’s Department, it
does have a vehicle with a radio to communicate with
dispatch and fuel is funded by the Sheriff’s Department,
as well as limited training. The members patrol the 28
square miles of the community on a random basis and call
for assistance from the Sheriff’s Department if any
suspicious activities are observed. The organization is
further funded by donations and is always seeking new
members who can be available on nights and weekends.
Call Fred McEnvoy 773-3548.
The
Garden Club,
is one
of the long-established groups in the Community and in
addition to their regular meetings, operates a
beautification project in the median just inside the
main Community entrance on Sunny Hills Blvd. that is
updated seasonally. The Garden Club has its own tool
and work shed in Wilder Park adjacent to the enclosed
pavilion. Call Belva at 773-4569.
The
Merry Exercising Mavens,
meets for an hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
mornings at the St. Theresa’s Parish Hall for light
exercise and fellowship. Everyone is welcome; just
contact Diane at 773-7039 for more information.
The
Red Hatters Club,
is a social group of Community residents that meet
monthly in local restaurants, sometimes in Panama City
or Panama City Beach, for conversation and exchanges of
information among friends. New participants are always
welcome; contact Jane at 773-2019.
The
Passionate Page-turner’s Book Club,
meets to discuss selected new books and authors on a
non-scheduled basis that varies seasonally. Contact
Diane at 773-7039 for current information.
Currently Inactive Clubs,
would include the Sportsmans’ Club and the Math Club.
Churches
There were a total of 13 church sites
designated in the Sunny Hills master plan and 3 churches
are located within the Community and the 4th
is just outside the Community in Greenhead.
St.
Theresa Catholic Church,
2056 Sunny Hills Blvd, 773-9756, Monsignor Francis
Szczykutowicz, with services in English and Lithuanian.
Sunny
Hills Community Church (Presbyterian – USA),
3768 Country Club Blvd., 773-3321, Rev. Kenneth Kelley.
Sunny
Hills First Baptist Church,
1886 Sunny Hills Blvd, Pastor Mike Swingle, 773-3142.
New
Vision United Methodist Church,
FL Hwy 77, Greenhead, FL, Pastor Stephanie Cox,
773-9756. The church is also the sponsor for the local
Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs.
With about 120 churches in Washington
County supporting a population of about 25,000 people,
there is a religious organization for almost every
preference. The largest denominational churches are
located in Chipley, about a 20 mile drive from Sunny
Hills. Since about 43% of the county population is
located within 10 miles of Sunny Hills, a significant
number of the churches are within a short drive from the
Community.
Civic & Service Organizations
Kiwanis Club of Chipley,
is in its 69th year of service to the youth
of Washington County and draws it membership from
throughout the county. The club meets Tuesdays on the
campus of the Washington-Holmes County Technical Center
in Pattillo’s Restaurant from Noon to 1 p.m. Membership
chair is Mark Collins, (850) 258-9453. Visitors and
prospective members are always welcome. For more
information about the Kiwanis Club of Chipley, visit
www.ChipleyKiwanis.com.
Lions
Club of Chipley,
was founded in 1960 to fight blindness and has expanded
its mission to include environmental issues, feeding the
hungry, and aiding seniors and the disabled, as well as
youth programs. The Club meets at Bailey’s Steak & Sea
Food in Chipley on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.. Contact
is Marty Hinson,
mhinson1@bellsouth.net.
Washington County Scholarship Foundation, Inc.,
operates
the Take Stock In Children (TSIC) program in Washington
County with 58 students currently participating. A
total of 25 have graduated from high school in the last
two years and received the 120 credit hour fully paid
scholarships for any Florida college, university, or
technical school. This program differs significantly
from other scholarship programs in that participants can
be selected from grades 6 through 11 and each student is
assigned an adult mentor for weekly meetings during the
school year. The TSIC program has above a 93% high
school graduation rate that is attributed to the success
of the mentor program. Funds raised through local
donations are matched by a state-level program to
purchase scholarships in the Florida Prepaid Program.
Volunteer opportunities exist on the Leadership Council,
the Mentor Committee, and the Advocate Committee. For
more information, contact Foundation President David
Solger at 638-1276 or go to
www.takestockinchildren.com.
Washington County Scholarship Trust, Inc.,
was started
by teachers and school administrators in 1996 to provide
funds for college level education costs and the program
was designed for students from the 9th
grade. Students are awarded points for community
service projects, school organization achievements,
grade points, and the more active the student then the
more points they can earn prior to high school
graduation. Upon high school graduation, the points are
converted to dollars towards first and second year
education costs beyond high school. Since 2000, the
Trust has awarded over 200 individual payments. Funds
are raised through tractor pulls on a special track in
Vernon, silent auctions, yard sales, and donations.
Volunteer opportunities exist to help with fund raising
events and to solicit donations. For more information
go to
www.wcscholarships.net,
or contact Trust President Robert Davis at
pullingforeducation@yahoo.com.
Service club opportunities also exist in
Panama City and Marianna that would include Rotary,
Exchange, Civitan, and others.
There are a total of 81 non-profit
organizations within the county ranging from the
American Legion and AmVets to the Free and Accepted
Masons of Florida, to Habitat For Humanity, to Literacy
Volunteers of Washington County, to the Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW), to the Washington County Teen Court
many others. If you are inclined towards community
service, the volunteer opportunities are available for
most areas of interest.
Schools
Children in Sunny Hills attend Washington County School
Board schools in Vernon, which is about a 20 minute ride
from Sunny Hills. The Vernon Elementary School, Vernon
Middle School, and Vernon High School are award winners
in multiple categories. Also, the Board of Education
operates the Washington-Holmes Technical Center in
Chipley that offers career courses and GED programs, as
well as adult education short courses. For school
information, go to
www.wcsb.paec.org
or call at (850)638-6222. There are about 3,500
students between two elementary schools (Chipley &
Vernon), two middle schools, and two high schools.
Travel Times From Sunny Hills
While travel times are dependent upon
actual traffic and road conditions, the following will
give you some estimated times to popular destinations
from Sunny Hills.
Panama City
Downtown 45 minutes
Panama City
Mall 35
minutes
Tyndall Air Force
Base 1:15 minutes (Southeast of
Panama City)
Panama City Beach – East End
60 minutes
Panama City Beach – West
End 1:15 minutes via FL 388 and FL
Hwy 79
New International
Airport 35 minutes
Current Panama City Airport
45 minutes
Chipley and
I-10 20
minutes
Dothan, AL
60 minutes
Country Crossing Theme Park
45 minutes
Marianna, FL
45 minutes
Tallahassee, FL
1:10 minutes
Pensacola, FL
1:55 minutes
Eglin Air Force
Base 1:10
minutes
Atlanta, GA
Airport 4:30
minutes
For
airline travel information, go to
www.pcairport.com
for the current airport, and for the Northwest Florida
International Beaches Airport open in May 2010, go to
www.newpcairport.com.
