For 36 years, Tom Schumack ran the Summer Sands Condominium complex on Navarre Beach as though it were his own.

Undeterred by state requirements that the eight-unit mixed-use complex be governed by a board of three to five members, Schumack, through an entity called Gulf Asset Group, acted independently to establish policies and maintain the books by which the condominium operated.

In doing so, Schumack, who over time acquired ownership of four of the eight individual units, gave one of his tenants, Terrie Masters, free reign to operate a business called the Boardwalk Shop. The business grew to a point that in 2021, when Dale Atkinson purchased a condo of his own, operations had expanded to encompass much of the area around the complex itself, including the parking lot. Atkinson has spearheaded what has proven to be a lengthy court fight to wrest control of Summer Sands from Schumack and the common areas around the building from Masters. In April 2025, following three years of litigation, Atkinson and other representatives of a legally established homeowner's association secured a sweeping ruling ascertaining their rights as a governing body to reclaim their common areas. They've had to return to court, though, because Masters has refused to comply and remove all of the items she rents to tourists. Judge J. Scott Duncan has set a hearing for March 7 in which he will decide whether Masters, or her landlords, Schumack and his Gulf Asset Group partner James Wirth, are to be held in contempt for refusing to comply with the April order he issued to clear the property.

A legal battle between the Summer Sands Condo Association and Terrie Masters is heating up on Navarre Beach. A complaint filed by the Condo Association claims that Masters is operating a business on the property without proper approval. Masters has operated the very successful Boardwalk Shops of Navarre Beach from the location for more than a decade.

 

The judge made it clear at a Dec. 17 hearing that holding a business owner in contempt was the last thing he wanted to do, but that he was determined to see the Gulf Boulevard property cleaned up.

 

History of Summer Sands Condominium

Summer Sands was established at 8460 Gulf Blvd. on Navarre Beach through a Declaration of Condominium in 1984 and, in court testimony, Schumack stated he took over as the building's sole homeowner's association representative in 1985. He and Gulf Asset Group would eventually come to own units 101, 102, 301 and 302.

The Boardwalk Shop, run by Masters since about 2012, operates as a retail outlet out of Unit 102, court documents show, and is authorized for the sale of clothing, beach apparel, souvenirs and items for personal use on the beach, such as beach chairs and toys.

Over the course of time the Boardwalk Shop expanded its operations to include unauthorized business activities including food service and rental of recreational items, included bicycles, paddleboards, kayaks, surfboards, mopeds and golf carts, a complaint originally filed in 2022 states. The business did not have storage facilities in which to house the rentals.

The business "has misappropriated the common elements owned by the Condominium Association and its members for use in operating its unauthorized business activities," the complaint stated.

The Boardwalk Shop also brought in an ice machine, a washer and dryer and a sign, all operating on condominium electricity. Masters brought in a "food service structure" and put picnic tables complete with umbrellas that, according to the 2022 complaint, "are taking up the entire parking space in front of the condominium." She placed a storage unit on the property to hold her merchandise.