Churchill Oaks Phase II Breaks Ground

By Jordan Staggs | Photos by STM Photography

Over fifteen years ago, Roy and Wendy Sembera, a Louisiana couple with a desire to make their home in Florida’s Scenic Highway 30-A area, began the colossal undertaking of creating a new community from scratch. Churchill Oaks is now a premier waterfront neighborhood on Hogtown Bayou and the Choctawhatchee Bay in Santa Rosa Beach, with a vibrant mix of residents, world-class amenities, and beautiful Low Country-style architecture. From the bayfront infinity pool to miles of walking trails and the area’s biggest private marina, Churchill Oaks is maturing into one of the most desirable places to live away from the hustle and bustle of 30-A’s main corridor. Now, with just seven lots left for sale out of the original eighty-seven homesites, the Semberas are thrilled to break ground on Phase II of the community.

When asked how it feels, as a developer and visionary, to see the property for Phase II being cleared and prepped for construction, Roy Sembera shared, “It feels good—really good. Now others will finally see what I’ve been imagining for some time.” That vision includes expanding the neighborhood’s scenic walking trails, adding a new sports facility with pickleball courts and more, and expanding the neighborhood entrance, among other additions.

Working with Jenkins Engineering, Southeast Site & Underground, and Matt Savoie of Savoie Architects, Sembera says it’s exciting to see how those amenities and Phase II’s fifteen additional homesites will take shape in the coming months and years.

“We should have the infrastructure completed in approximately five months and be selling lots by the end of this year,” he said at the beginning of May 2026.

The sports courts are a highlight Sembera is particularly looking forward to, he says, along with the rewarding feeling of seeing his and Wendy’s vision come to life over many years. “In today’s world, most people expect instant gratification—me included,” he admits. “The fact that a project like a community takes longer—over fifteen years so far since we first began planning—makes the feeling of that gratification exponentially better when you see it come to life.”

The vernacular of Phase II will align with the Southern, coastal, Low Country style of Phase I, which was inspired by the Semberas’ Louisiana home and the live oaks found around the forty-acre property. Spanish moss clings to the canopy while walking paths and boardwalks meander through the neighborhood—40 percent of which is still dedicated green space by design, so the natural landscape will always be celebrated and enjoyed. Big porches, indoor-outdoor living spaces, and courtyards are just some of the ways the architecture allows homeowners and visitors to commune with nature every day.

Those who are interested in the slower pace and peacefulness of life in Churchill Oaks can still get on board by scheduling a showing with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty. “We are starting a new custom spec home on lot 9A, our last bayfront lot in Phase I,” Sembera says. “So there’s one last chance to own on the bayfront in Churchill Oaks.”

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To learn more, visit ChurchillOaksLife.com and follow @churchilloaksfl on Instagram. For sales inquiries, contact the Dahler & Co Real Estate Group with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty: 30ARealEstateFL.com; (850) 842-8800.