Items on the beach overnight

All I know is...I am watching whoever you are (blue tent, red tent) on BMB...fair warning...I know people.

...maybe Habitat for Humanity's Restore could sell it and the proceeds could go to an affordable home for someone ....

After a few days of adhering to the tag and bag campaign and speaking to certain people "in the know" I see two glaring and huge loopholes that could cause this to move in slow motion.

The first, which everyone on this board seems to be aware of by now, is the simple fact there isn't enough manpower involved. Any given section of beach will only be inspected once a week at the current rate and I've heard the TDC has no plans to put any money into solving this. IMO, if a beach is scheduled for a Saturday tagging and that week's visitors arrive Saturday evening and hit the beach Sunday, then they've avoided that whole week's warning.

The second and more problematic issue is a tricky one. ONLY the sheriff's department is authorized to deem what is to be tagged and ONLY those items which have been tagged may be removed. Which means if the TDC truck comes around that morning 24 hrs. later to remove tagged items, TDC can only remove them if the tag is still there! The TDC guys have no authority to remove non-tagged items even if he suspects or knows it was tagged previously.

True, it is illegal to remove one of these tags without removing your gear with it as it has a case file, but really, could there be a bigger loophole than this? Perhaps they will someday soon ramp up the project to not include a warning, but I get the idea there are some legal hurdles there which is why the TDC currently can't and won't do just that.

Only solution I see is more manpower. Through money, jobs, volunteers, creative solutions, or a combination of all. I mean, we are talking about the very reason this place exists...da beach! You'd think interested parties would make sure, above all else, that beach ordinance enforcement was job 1 instead of job whenever-we-get-to-it.

Again, it is week 1 and as SJ and others have said, lets give it a chance and not get too worked up just because you read this thread as of last week. This has been a debate for years not days so lets keep some perspective.

I just wanted to update y'all on what my personal hands and ears-on experience this week has yielded.

And you people with the tents, quit gettin' up so dang early to drop your frames on the ground and running back to bed. It's pretty comical actually.

Thanks TNJed- your posts are always great and a good source "from the front".

And you people with the tents, quit gettin' up so dang early to drop your frames on the ground and running back to bed. It's pretty comical actually.

I can't believe they actually do that! Are they still in their pjs and fuzzy slippers ?

Good points, TNJed. I will add that if the Sheriff's Office tags a section of the beach only once per week, there is no way in heck that they will be able to tell if someone ripped off the tag. The tag is simply acts as an identifier for the TDC trash collectors. Unless the Sheriff's Office is willing to patrol each section of beach, at a minimum of twice each week, they will never nip this in the bud.

TNJed, I believe the Code Enforcement also has the authority as granted by the County, to issue the tagged warnings.

Hey, TNJed -- instead of tags on the items, they need to put on those stickers that our campus police slaps on our windshields if we park illegally. I'm telling ya, it's a major chore to get those suckers off.

I can't believe they actually do that! Are they still in their pjs and fuzzy slippers ?

We were out at Grayton by 8:30 on Sunday morning. There were only 2 early rising tent erectors, and both flew out onto the beach in out-of-state trucks WITHOUT beach permits, dumped their load, and roared back off. It was hilarious- it's like they waited for the perfect opportunity (when there wasn't anybody around to catch them) and snuck around like twerps.

I heard that one of the deputies was taking over the Beach Activities Position with the County (not TDC), so maybe that will help. He would be working with Code Enforcement.

Also, I agree that frequency will have to increase and that 2 times a week would help. Well, today is the end of week 1 removals so I am interested in the final # of truckloads removed, especially since the week before was 0.

TNJed, I believe the Code Enforcement also has the authority as granted by the County, to issue the tagged warnings.

That would make sense.

I heard that one of the deputies was taking over the Beach Activities Position with the County (not TDC), so maybe that will help. He would be working with Code Enforcement.

Sergeant Ryan Brown is who I heard. He certainly has put the time in on the beach. I think he'll have a really good understanding of how to bridge the gap between how we/they/you/me want the beaches and their reality.


No bunnie slippers that I've seen yet but some of the tent commandos appear to be a quart low on coffee.

We quit taking our chairs out there and leaving them for the night after that one time. We would like to take them out there and set them up along with our umbrella and leave it all out there for the day as we probably would go back out later in the day and sit. We go out in the morning around 9:00 and then go back out later in the afternoon and then bring them up and put them on the deck. Is that now not permitted to leave them out there for the day every day and then bring them in? And our beach chairs are not rusted and our umbrella is a new one. We have never put a torn up worn out umbrella out on the beach.

We would like to take them out there and set them up along with our umbrella and leave it all out there for the day as we probably would go back out later in the day and sit. We go out in the morning around 9:00 and then go back out later in the afternoon and then bring them up and put them on the deck. Is that now not permitted to leave them out there for the day every day and then bring them in?

According to http://beachesofsouthwalton.com/FAQRemoveItOrLoseIt.pdf, as long as you don't leave them overnight, it's okay. Also, if it's a private walkover without a TDC trash can, you may leave items adjacent to or under the walkover overnight.

But if it's OUR walkover and you leave the stuff there for a week and you don't own property in our neighborhood, I'm confiscating it!

I just remembered an incident from last year. It was during the peak of the season, and I was growing tired of all the crap left on the beach. A group of people left there crap out on the beach for three days straight. One evening, I cleaned up so much of their trash, that I also decided to clean up their chairs and umbrella. The next morning, I went back to that same spot on the beach and set up, using my new chairs and umbrella. A few hours later, the former owners came out, and didn't see their crap. Or, did they? (but someone was using their crap.) One guy came over and asked if those were his chairs and umbrellas. I told him that I didn't know. I found them abandoned on the beach with a whole lot of trash around them. He said that he thought they were his. I asked him if he wanted all of his trash that I picked up too. :funn:I told him that I would give back his stuff, only if he promised to remove them at the end of each day, and on the condition that he not leave his trash on the beach. (yes, literally, trash). He agreed, and we parted ways. I checked back that evening and he did remove them.

I asked him if he wanted all of his trash that I picked up too. :funn:

Good one!

According to http://beachesofsouthwalton.com/FAQRemoveItOrLoseIt.pdf, as long as you don't leave them overnight, it's okay. Also, if it's a private walkover without a TDC trash can, you may leave items adjacent to or under the walkover overnight.

But if it's OUR walkover and you leave the stuff there for a week and you don't own property in our neighborhood, I'm confiscating it!

We rent a privately owned townhouse with it's own walkover. Never mind that the stairs are missing but it's a walkover nonetheless. Or they were missing still two years ago.

We rent a privately owned townhouse with it's own walkover. Never mind that the stairs are missing but it's a walkover nonetheless. Or they were missing still two years ago.

Did you leave them on the beach overnight? Maybe the TDC took them.

(Sorry. I know y'all are being all serious. I couldn't resist...)

Did you leave them on the beach overnight? Maybe the TDC took them.

(Sorry. I know y'all are being all serious. I couldn't resist...)

OMG. I am really liking your virus. Don't get better.

OMG. I am really liking your virus. Don't get better.

she's a goof. funn A silly goof.

Who's going to BMB for a tent revival?

Who's going to BMB for a tent revival?

Did you say tent revival? I think you really meant retrieval?

Did you leave them on the beach overnight? Maybe the TDC took them.

(Sorry. I know y'all are being all serious. I couldn't resist...)

NoHall, that is funny. No, they got washed away by one of the hurricanes. The owner has never built them back. He keeps waiting for the county to build his dunes back up but from what I understand that is not done on private property. So he will be waiting for many years. Others have built theirs back that are very near him without the dunes being there. He could also. We have to use the walkover next door.

Did you say tent revival? I think you really meant retrieval?

Hallelujah sister! Retrieval was too obvious. ;-)

Shhhh. I'm in the red tent now. Can you see my puter glowin' in the dark? ;-) Hey they left some really good sheeet in here. C'mon down. :leaving:

shhhhhhhh be :rofl: vewy vewy quiet. we huntin wed and blue tents. LOL!! I am gonna pee my pants if those 2 are gone in the morning. LOL!!!!!

shhhhhhhh be :rofl: vewy vewy quiet. we huntin wed and blue tents. LOL!! I am gonna pee my pants if those 2 are gone in the morning. LOL!!!!!