Not all migrants to northern Okaloosa County are motivated by the search for cheaper homes. Steve Riggs, a Destin partner in the CPA firm of Carr, Riggs & Ingram, is developing Heritage Plantation near Crestview -- 988 acres with a golf course, riding and walking trails, natural terrain, creeks and lakes and 810 sites for homes costing about $500,000 and higher.
Riggs' market: Florida newcomers and coastal dwellers seeking to avoid future hurricane evacuations. So far, he's sold 130 lots at $150,000 and up, "and we haven't started marketing yet. Some people need affordable housing," says Riggs. "Some people don't."