Letters to the Master Association and the Club

September 18, 2026

To Tops’l Master Association and the Club:

My husband and I are original owners of a unit in the Tides. We have rented through Abbott and all of its subsequent acquirers and been members of the Club since November 1998. As retirees, we now spend more time in our unit during the fall, winter and spring than we did when we purchased the unit and rent only to cover our expenses. The Club is a very important amenity to us as my husband has very limited vision. When we are on property, he takes the tram almost daily to the Club, where he swims in the indoor pool, works out in the gym and socializes with the snowbirds during the winter. It gives him a sense of independence while we are onsite.

I am neither anti-TMA nor anti-Club. I would like to see the two groups come to a mutual agreement that serves the entire property. I do believe as a property owner, the Club is entitled to a seat on the board if every other property group, including the tennis villas with their small number of owners, have seats on the board. There seems to be a concern by some owners that the Club would allow numerous non-owner members access to the beach. This was not the case in the past, and I don’t expect it to be the case in the future but would be opposed if this was their intent.

Betty and Don Summerlin · Owners at the Tides

September 18, 2026

My family has been coming to Tops’l since 1988. We purchased our first unit at the Tides in 1998 pre construction. We purchased our second unit at Tops’l Captiva in 2006 and we currently live there part time. We love Tops’l and want our resort to be a peaceful place without any divisions. Topsl has offered a very unique experience in that it adjoins The Four Mile Village area which has long stretch of beach that is restricted from any new construction and serves as a nature preserve. Topsl also has always had a beach that is restricted to owner’s and their guests (including rental guest). This is so important that this never changes. I will list the issues that we are most concerned about.

1. We have been through 6 different rental management companies at Tops’l over the past 30 years. 1. Abbott - 2. ResortQuest - 3. Wyndham - 4. Gaylord - 5. Vacasa - 6. Tops’l Lodging. During this time we have enjoyed a great working relationship for the most part. We began having issues when the rental company decided they wanted to allow their Non Owner Club members to use our PRIVATE BEACH. The 600 individuals who own units at Tops’l purchased our homes because of the beach at Tops’l is not overcrowded like our adjoining neighbors Sandestin is. When a rental management company does this, they are no longer looking out for the best interest of their customers who are owners at Tops’l.

2. The Tops’l Master Association represents and protects the 600 Owner’s at the resort. They have the best interest of All of the Owner’s at Tops’l. This includes both not rental owners and owners who choose to rent. We have been both over the years so we understand the importance of good representation. I would have to say that the current TMA board has done a very good job of trying to look out for the best interest of all of the owners. I believe that the TMA board should continue to include only one property owner representing each of the 7 neighborhood Associations. This insures that homeowners are making the decisions for the community of homeowners and not the rental management company.

3. We have been loyal members of the Club at Tops’l for over 2 decades and we have really enjoyed this amenity. We want the club refurbished and maintained in good condition. We also don’t think that Amenities like the club and Blue Dunes Grill at the beach should be used as leverage.

I believe that the beach and amenities should be protected from anything and anyone who does not have the best interest of the 600 owners. Over the past 30 years, we have enjoyed a great working relationship with the rental companies without threats and amenities used as leverage. We would like to see a fair resolution that restores that relationship and allows our owner representatives on the TMA to do their jobs without fear and frustration and harassment.

Phil and Vickie Little · Owners at Tops’l Captiva

September 18, 2026

To the Master Association and the Club,

My family bought our home at The Summit this June with our eyes open. We knew about the conflict before we signed. We came anyway, full time, kids and all, because we fell in love with the beach, and because everyone here, including the guests, made us feel welcome. We put everything we have into living where we dreamed of living.

So I need something unusual from September 22: I need both of you to win. If the rental business fails, our buildings fail with it. If owners give up their private beach so a private company can profit from it, we lose part of the reason we came. Neither outcome is a victory I can use.

Take the registration fee, because it shows the way out. I am not against it. Guests bring costs, and the security and guest services it is supposed to pay for are among the best things about this resort; when we were guests, they were half the reason we felt at home. But the fee was born in a hurry: no impact study, no cost accounting, a number that has never really been justified, even when it was raised. So here is my ask for the mediation table: real numbers, from both sides. Budgets, costs, what the fee actually pays for. Show the math, and most owners will pay what honest math says.

To the association: record the meetings again, and give owners a real way to talk with you. Silence is expensive too.

To the Club: settle on terms you would accept with the roles reversed, because whatever wins this round becomes the template for the next one.

To everyone: everyone I have talked to here calls this place their “Happy Place.” Our goal should be to make that true for anyone who gets past the gate.

Martin Corona · Owner at The Summit, and publisher of this website