Chris Abbott's family first discovered the Gulf Coast in the early 1950s and have lived here ever since. At that time, his grandfather, William W. Abbott Sr., was an Air Force major OSI and initially purchased waterfront property in Fort Walton Beach to raise his family there after retiring.

In 1970, Chris' grandfather became a real estate broker, beginning his career selling condominiums in the El Matador development on Okaloosa Island. This was...