Seaside...Welcome or Not

I?ve been praying to the ?Sign Fairy? to place another one on Grove Street. So far he/she hasn?t come through.

So sorry, I have been swamped. :funn:

Actually both of the issues you bring up hurt rentals. Most people would rather move freely about than worry about what square of dirt they can stand/sit on.

i believe you are correct and i agree

Originally Posted by Sandcastle
I think we should call them WOTs (Witches of Tupelo). Someone took a picture of the ?Welcome to Seagrove? sign on Forest Street this afternoon using a professional looking camera. I wonder what?s up.


Perhaps the coverage in today's Walton Sun? No witches unless they're lurking in the bushes hoping to catch Seagrove "offenders"

Thanks to everyone who has submitted letters about this issue to The Seaside Times!
I'm in the process of wrapping up our editorial content for the Feb. 12 edition. If you haven't shared your thoughts on the signs with me (pro or con) and would like to, please email your letter to editor@seasidefl.com no later than Jan. 18.

Thanks again!
Susan Vallee

They can say that the "downtown" Seaside will remain public, but as parking gets even tighter, and beach accesses are cut off, the public will quickly stop shopping in the public stores, and stop dining in the restaurants.

I didn't read the article about the sign wars, but know that Seaside had a run in with the SWFD over the posts in the middle of the roads off of 30A, and the SWFD won that battle. It seems that Seaside didn't want the firetrucks to be able to access the private streets in order for them to put out a fire. They also made Seaside remove the temporary marquees at each of those roads, which stated, "Private, residents only."

Oh, Snap!

There is a public access just being completed between Seaside and Watercolor. Included, across 30A from the walkover, is a parking lot purported to hold 100 cars and a bathroom / shower building something like Ed Waline Park but larger. This land was donated by St. Joe as part of the deal to build Watercolor Resort and should relieve some of the parking problem in Seaside during summer.

There is a public access just being completed between Seaside and Watercolor. Included, across 30A from the walkover, is a parking lot purported to hold 100 cars and a bathroom / shower building something like Ed Waline Park but larger. This land was donated by St. Joe as part of the deal to build Watercolor Resort and should relieve some of the parking problem in Seaside during summer.

Except it won't work. Let's look at the math here:

100 cars
4 occupants per car
400 people
2 square feet per person on the beach standing up
800 square feet needed just for these folks to stand

Now consider that these folks probably won't just mill around standing on the strip down to the wet sand. Where are these folks supposed to go since I'm sure WaterColor and Seaside will defend there land to the death?

There is a public access just being completed between Seaside and Watercolor. Included, across 30A from the walkover, is a parking lot purported to hold 100 cars and a bathroom / shower building something like Ed Waline Park but larger. This land was donated by St. Joe as part of the deal to build Watercolor Resort and should relieve some of the parking problem in Seaside during summer.

First, St Joe didn't donate that land. They owned it, and the County owned some Gulf Front land next to the current walkover to which you refer. WaterColor talked the County into making the exchange, or at least that is the way I hear it. New? The bathrooms and asphalt are new, but the parking lot and walkover have been there for at least two - three years. Funny thing is though, Seaside's "private" signs, like the one in the photo which I posted, are at the edge of the property where the Public walkover is located, and WaterColor's beach area is directly on the other side. Last year, Seaside and WaterColor umbrellas/chair setups, extended the full length of their properties, so good luck with dumping even 100 people on that short stretch of beach.

The bathroom facilities are much appreciated, as is the parking lot. They are a great start and we need a whole crap-load more of them.

I noticed the other day that the Private Pavillion sign at the western stairs to the Dining Pavillion behind Rolly Polly, is now removed. The post is still their but the sign is gone. I wonder if someone stole it.

I had that question about the beach at that access, and someone, I think maybe it was WaltonGOP, posted on another thread that the public's right to use the beach in front of WaterColor is in the agreement. So that would mean those 400 or so people can park, go down the access, and rightfully go west. I suspect the big sign on the beach in front of Seaside is there to make sure they do in fact go west, and not east.
If I remember correctly the whole deal and swap out was mixed up with WaterColor's take permit. It's a big thick document that came about because of beach mice habitat on WaterColor's beach.

I noticed the other day that the Private Pavillion sign at the western stairs to the Dining Pavillion behind Rolly Polly, is now removed. The post is still their but the sign is gone. I wonder if someone stole it.

Maybe someone needed a target to sight in their new hunting rifle.

I had that question about the beach at that access, and someone, I think maybe it was WaltonGOP, posted on another thread that the public's right to use the beach in front of WaterColor is in the agreement. So that would mean those 400 or so people can park, go down the access, and rightfully go west. I suspect the big sign on the beach in front of Seaside is there to make sure they do in fact go west, and not east.
If I remember correctly the whole deal and swap out was mixed up with WaterColor's take permit. It's a big thick document that came about because of beach mice habitat on WaterColor's beach.

Sorry but I know nothing about the beach issue. All I ever remember doing is going to the beach. Were not enough places there to worry about where someone laid out a blanket.

Do they still have those feral cat populations down there? I would think that they would have already decimated the beach mouse population.

There is a public access between Seaside and Watercolor.

isn't the access at the obe (western end of shopping/retail area) also a public access? that is in seaside also.

isn't the access at the obe (western end of shopping/retail area) also a public access? that is in seaside also.

Not according to the signs.

isn't the access at the obe (western end of shopping/retail area) also a public access? that is in seaside also.

I believe the access you?re referring to is still owned by Robert Davis and open to the public. If you check the on-line plats from the Walton County Property Appraiser, they show that the Seaside Home Owners? Associations own to the high-water line on the east and west ends of Seaside. The beach behind the retail area appears to be owner by the developer. I hope I?m right.

What part about "Private Access for Seaside Owners and Guests" signs, indicate that access is available to the public?

What part about "Private Access for Seaside Owners and Guests" signs, indicate that access is available to the public?

I?m not sure of the name of each walkover in Seaside. However; if you walk out of the wine bar on Central Square and walk south across 30-A, you?ll come to a beach walkover. That walkover is owned by Seaside Community Development Corporation ? unless the tax records aren?t up to date. A large section of beach, both to the left and to the right of that walkover, is also owned by Seaside Community Development Corporation.

There has never been a ?Private? sign posted on that walkover. I think it?s the only walkover in Seaside that has never been posted. Even though this isn?t a designated ?public? access point, I believe that Seaside Community Development Corporation allows the public to use this walkover and this section of the beach. In fact; anyone entering the beach from this walkover wouldn?t know they were on a private beach, until they reached the east or west end of Seaside and looked back over their shoulder at one of the large signs posted there.

I think there are a few Seaside home owners who convinced their homeowners? association to post the large signs on the beach at each end of Seaside. It would be interesting to see which entity would file charges against someone accused of trespassing on ?Seaside?s? beach. I?d be shocked if Seaside Community Development Corporation did that. I can understand why a judge would require an exact survey showing the precise location of an accused.

I can understand why the Seaside owners want to keep the public off their private beach.....afterall they paid the entire cost of clean-up and reconstruction after the hurricanes--fair is fair.


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I can understand why the Seaside owners want to keep the public off their private beach.....afterall they paid the entire cost of clean-up and reconstruction after the hurricanes--fair is fair.

I can understand why the Seaside owners want to keep the public off their private beach.....afterall they paid the entire cost of clean-up and reconstruction after the hurricanes--fair is fair.


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Oops, forgot......

...../sarcasm off








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Do they still have those feral cat populations down there? I would think that they would have already decimated the beach mouse population.

I think there are still some cats at Seaside. However, WaterColor is required to monitor and remove cats. No free roaming cats allowed in WaterColor. That is part of their "take" permit, the other part being the dune preservation and the mouse program at WaterSound. St Joe moved some beach mice from Topsail to WaterSound. No cats allowed in WaterSound, either.
Last I heard, the mice at WaterSound were doing well. I'm not sure if there are actually any mice at WaterColor or not these days. Or at Grayton, for that matter. I know they used to be there.

Oops, forgot......

...../sarcasm off








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Thanks! I thought that was it.

Are you referring to the obelisk beach access, which is beside Cafe Spiazza? I am pretty sure there is a private sign posted there. I know there is a private sign behind the Rolly Polly.

Are you referring to the obelisk beach access, which is beside Cafe Spiazza? I am pretty sure there is a private sign posted there. I know there is a private sign behind the Rolly Polly.

So, if I go to Roly Poly and buy lunch as I did today...and I want to take it on the beach to eat it; I could get arrested for trespassing......

Are you referring to the obelisk beach access, which is beside Cafe Spiazza? I am pretty sure there is a private sign posted there. I know there is a private sign behind the Rolly Polly.

I know there's a sign behind Rolly Polly, but I haven't seen one at the access point beside Cafe Spiazza (ever).

So, if I go to Roly Poly and buy lunch as I did today...and I want to take it on the beach to eat it; I could get arrested for trespassing......

Not if you run to the wet sand at first sign of a security golf cart or real law enforcement :funn:.