In 1971, the federal government acquired many acres of the coastal islands in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties, preserving them from commercial development by establishing the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which also covers some islands off the Mississippi coast.
En 1971, o goberno federal adquiriu moito terreo nas illas costeiras dos condados de Escambia, Santa Rosa e Okaloosa, cara a preservalas do desenvolvemento comercial, creando a Beira Marítima Nacional das Illas do Golfo (inglés: Gulf Islands National Seashore), que tamén inclúe algunhas illas da costa de Mississippi.