Emerald Coast Condo Map
Gulf Front

Southwinds III at Sandestin

4550 Southwinds Dr, Sandestin, FL

Walton County · Sandestin S

By Josh Parish, Founding Editor · Updated 08/28/2026

3D Flyover

Aerial 3D flyover, generated from Google Earth. Not a walk-through tour of the building.

Southwinds III at Sandestin is a Gulf-Front tower in Sandestin, FL, within the Southwinds community, built in 1999, standing 20 stories with 54 condos. Short-term rentals are not permitted, recent sale prices fall in the $2.5M–$3.2M band, and on-site amenities include a pool, a fitness center, gated entry, and tennis courts.

1999
Built
54
Units
20
Stories
Gulf Front
Frontage
Not allowed
Rentals
Google Maps →Street View →

Part of Southwinds

Amenities
  • —Pool
  • —Fitness
  • —Elevator
  • —Gated
  • —Tennis
Map
Showing 0 of 54Pick a group to place its pins.

Closest by car: private Gulf-front beach; grocery — Winn-Dixie - Miramar Beach (1.2 mi); town center — Silver Sands Premium Outlets (1.3 mi); hospital — Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast (1.7 mi); airport — Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) (15 mi).

Customary Use
Customary Use

Southwinds III at Sandestin sits right on the Gulf. Along this coast, the wet sand below the mean high-water line is always open to the public. Where a beach has been rebuilt with public money, that open stretch can reach farther up, to a marked Erosion Control Line. The dry sand in front of it is private, with no public-use ruling on record. Reflects the public record as of June 2026.

How customary use works on the Emerald Coast →

County and court records. Editorial assessments are the author's own. Not legal advice.

Geographic Overlays
Geographic Overlays
FEMA flood zone (parcel): X
FIRM panel: 12131C0652H, effective 12/30/2020
Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS): Outside all three
Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL): Landward
Evacuation zone: A
Critically eroded shoreline: Critical. Florida DEP designates the western Walton County shoreline (R1 to R23.6) as critically eroded — the state's term for a beach where erosion now threatens buildings, roads, parks or habitat. A restored beach keeps that designation so it stays eligible for state money to maintain it. The beach restoration here was finished in 2007, and 800 more feet was added to the designation in 2014 so the federally authorized Walton County Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project could be managed as one stretch. The nearest point of that stretch sits about 1,300 feet from this building.
Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS): Complete — on file with DBPR
Source: Florida DBPR SIRS Reporting Database (D7) — pre-July-2025 + July-2025-and-after lists, searched 2026-07-31 · as of 07/31/2026
Source: FEMA NFHL (https://hazards.fema.gov/arcgis/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer) layer 28 Flood Hazard Zones — flood zone, SFHA and base flood elevation; layer 3 FIRM Panels — FIRM panel and effective date. USFWS/USGS CBRS Mapper (https://gis1.wim.usgs.gov/server/rest/services/CBRSMapper/CoastalBarrierResourcesSystem/MapServer) layer 3 CBRS Units — CBRS status. Florida DEP (https://ca.dep.state.fl.us/arcgis/rest/services/OpenData/COASTAL_ENV_PERM/MapServer) layer 2 Coastal Construction Control Lines — CCCL position; layer 3 Coastal Critical Erosion Areas — critically eroded shoreline, read against FDEP's Critically Eroded Beaches in Florida, August 2025, in which Okaloosa and Walton were last revised June 2014. Florida DEM (https://services.arcgis.com/3wFbqsFPLeKqOlIK/ArcGIS/rest/services/Evacuation_Zones_20230608/FeatureServer) layer 12 Evacuation_Zones_20240226, last edited 2024-02-26 — evacuation zone. · as of 2026-07-27
County parcel record
Southwinds III at Sandestin — Parcel parcel record
Parcel08/20/2026Walton County · hand-built footprint · Esri/Maxar
Southwinds III at Sandestin — Block parcel record
Block08/20/2026Walton County · hand-built footprint · Esri/Maxar
Southwinds III at Sandestin — Area parcel record
Area08/20/2026Walton County · hand-built footprint · Esri/Maxar
Association & Recorded Documents
Association: Southwinds III Condominium Association, Inc.
Declaration: Declaration of Condominium for Southwinds III recorded 03/22/1999 (instrument #601997)
Use Rules
Minimum rental term: Minimum one (1) month during developer control (owners may adopt different rules post-turnover).
Common Questions

Can you rent short-term at Southwinds III at Sandestin?

No. Minimum one (1) month during developer control (owners may adopt different rules post-turnover). The declaration is the property's recorded rulebook, filed in the county records. Source: Walton County official records, instrument #601997.

Has Southwinds III at Sandestin filed a structural integrity reserve study?

Yes. A structural integrity reserve study is a state-required engineering study of a building's big-ticket parts and the money set aside to replace them. Southwinds III at Sandestin is listed complete and on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Source: Florida DBPR SIRS Reporting Database, searched 07/31/2026.

What is the owners association at Southwinds III at Sandestin, and when was its declaration recorded?

The association of record is Southwinds III Condominium Association, Inc. Recorded declaration: Declaration of Condominium for Southwinds III recorded 03/22/1999 (instrument #601997). Source: Walton County official records.

The Buyer's Intelligence Report

Get the Buyer's Intelligence Report

What the report covers: HOA financials, milestone and SIRS status, insurance, comps, and county records — compiled in one place for Southwinds III at Sandestin.

Prepared and delivered by Josh Parish, Emerald Coast Acquisitions · Destin, Florida. Access requires a signed buyer-broker agreement.

Building facts verified against the County Property Appraiser parcel records. Editorial assessments, metrics, and vibe are the author's own.