Enforcement for remove it or lose it?

I was wondering about enforcement too. Honestly it's because my grandparents live in Seagrove within eye shot of the access and we have family in town for the weekend with babies and we need the tent up. The first night, we took it down (total PITA considering we're coming right back out in the morning), but then we noticed it wasn't being enforced, so for the next 2 nights we left it up. Their name is written down the side of it. It's just that for a man of my grandfathers age to be pulling something up and putting it back out 6-8 time in one weekend when he can basically see it from his house... well... that's just really rough.

btw, chair rentals normally go up around 6 when I worked on the beach in Destin.

I hope they come and take your tent so you don't have to be further inconvenienced by keeping our beaches clean! :angry:

How about if I go park in your driveway - I'll only leave the car there for 14 hours or so, so it won't be a bother (I'll be using it the next day).

Maybe it would be more convenient if your grandfather had some help - maybe from a younger relative whose kids need the tent. :roll:

Uh, I can't exactly help him take it down with two toddlers in my arms. I'm 5'2" and 115lbs soaking wet. We're talking about someone who has had the property there for 20+ years and lived there full time for 12 years. He's not leaving trash behind. We pick up every.single.thing except the tent. Absolutely everything goes inside, but taking that tent down and putting it back up every few hours is not easy. This man knows every single homeowner who has a rental on that street, everyone who lives there, and half the actual renters.

btw, it's not like he does this all the time. we're talking only on holiday weekends when we actually need it because of all the extra family staying in his house.

Uh, I can't exactly help him take it down with two toddlers in my arms. I'm 5'2" and 115lbs soaking wet. We're talking about someone who has had the property there for 20+ years and lived there full time for 12 years. He's not leaving trash behind. We pick up every.single.thing except the tent. Absolutely everything goes inside, but taking that tent down and putting it back up every few hours is not easy. This man knows every single homeowner who has a rental on that street, everyone who lives there, and half the actual renters.

btw, it's not like he does this all the time. we're talking only on holiday weekends when we actually need it because of all the extra family staying in his house.

I think this attitude that it is NECESSARY to leave stuff on the beach is what got us into this remove it or lose it problem to start with. Are you saying that with all those people staying in his house, your grandfather cannot get one single person to help him with a tent? Although your family considers it a necessity, that tent is still an entanglement hazard to sea turtles and other animals, especially when the wind picks it up and puts it into the gulf. Owning a home does not entitle you to disobey county ordinances or other laws. Please pick up your stuff and take it in at night! If you are not physically capable of doing that, how did it get down to the beach to start with???

All these people we're talking about are three women and about 8 children. To think that the tent could be an entanglement issue, it's obvious that you don't know what kind of tent we're talking about. It's not going anywhere, he's had it for 10 years and it's never blown away once. It's not that he can't get it down there and back, it's getting it down there and back that many times in such a short period of time. If we're talking about going in at 7pm and going back out at 8am... what's the different between that and someone leaving their stuff out between 7am and 8pm? I've seen some people put it out in the morning and then go back inside and not come out until sunset. I don't see the difference there.

Should you have to bring in a shade if you leave and go have lunch and come back 5 or 6 hours later? People do that all the time in an effort to avoid the hottest hours of the day. It could just as easily blow away during that time period, but somehow because it's daylight, that makes it ok?

Someone leaving crap sitting on the beach unused for 5-6 hours during the day doesn't mean it's okay for you to leave crap there unused for 11 hours at night.

In all cases, people should pick up after themselves and not take so much stuff to the beach if it is too much of a burden to set it up and take it down when they are not actively using it.

Strange how I have been going to the beach for years w/ and without kids and infants and have never needed a massive tent. I must be doing it wrong. ;-)

Nighttime is enforced because objects on the beach at night pose more of a hazard to both people and wildlife and it is a set time you CAN enforce. It is difficult to determine the amount of time an item has been on the beach or how long it has been sitting unused during the day.

I don't think you get the point here, nor do I think that you will. If it is not OK for anyone to leave their stuff on the beach overnight per a county ordinance, why is it OK for you to leave your stuff on the beach overnight? Is there an exemption to this ordinance that I have missed?

If you disagree with the ordinance, I understand that, but disagreement does not qualify you to ignore the ordinance.

If anyone leaves anything on the beach for 5 -6 hours, I think they are very lucky if it is all there when they come back. Yes, they should take it with them if they are leaving for several hours, even in daylight.

BTW Are you saying that women are not qualified to put up and take down a tent? I thought women were stronger than that and certainly not that helpless. If you have daughters, I hope you are teaching them to take care of themselves and not to be dependent on other people to do things for them.

Easy, folks, easy...

It's a lively discussion, but I'm still hoping someone has some insight into whether TDC and the County are still tagging and picking up.

The first night, we took it down (total PITA considering we're coming right back out in the morning), but then we noticed it wasn't being enforced, so for the next 2 nights we left it up.

The way that I see, this is an 'enforcement' issue. If the TDC does nothing, then the beaches will be lined with junk again this year just as in years past.

I don't agree with CK's argument about women and tents (women in the Army can hoist a 20-man tent with the best of 'em), but I see how they rationalize over leaving it up if "everyone else" does too.

The TDC needs to get off their collective arses and do a whole season of "shock and awe" nighttime raids to clear this junk--it won't take long for word to get around on 30A "Move it or Lose it!"

My money is riding on the fact that this will never happen.

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The way that I see, this is an 'enforcement' issue. If the TDC does nothing, then the beaches will be lined with junk again this year just as in years past.

I don't agree with CK's argument about women and tents (women in the Army can hoist a 20-man tent with the best of 'em), but I see how they rationalize over leaving it up if "everyone else" does too.

The TDC needs to get off their collective arses and do a whole season of "shock and awe" nighttime raids to clear this junk--it won't take long for word to get around on 30A "Move it or Lose it!"

My money is riding on the fact that this will never happen.

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Loved the "shock and awe" quote

Just for clarity sake, the TDC is not an enforcement agency and thus is not able to remove things from anywhere but County accesses, unless it is tagged by the Beach Patrol or Code Enforcement. If its tagged by either of those departments then the TDC can remove it.

I recommend if you see a chronic violator give Code Enforcement a call at 622-0000.

Uh, I can't exactly help him take it down with two toddlers in my arms. I'm 5'2" and 115lbs soaking wet. We're talking about someone who has had the property there for 20+ years and lived there full time for 12 years. He's not leaving trash behind. We pick up every.single.thing except the tent. Absolutely everything goes inside, but taking that tent down and putting it back up every few hours is not easy. This man knows every single homeowner who has a rental on that street, everyone who lives there, and half the actual renters.

btw, it's not like he does this all the time. we're talking only on holiday weekends when we actually need it because of all the extra family staying in his house.

I completely understand. Perhaps the TDC should worry less of stuff on the beach and more on communicating holiday weekend dates to the sea turtles.

So what if your dad has lived here for 20+ years. Lots of people have lived here longer and still abide by the remove it or lose it. Most of them have been practicing it before we had the TDC, a slogan, or people whining about it.

Finally, who takes there toddlers to the beach all day???

I'm sure ckhagen's Granddad is far more responsible with his use of the beach than 90% of the folks leaving their stuff out there. Trying once more to mend the thread drift...

Has anyone seen any enforcement recently?

Or does anyone have any factual inside info about intent to enforce or not?

The TDC sent out a reminder last week about it - it's the sticky in this forum, so I would hope they ARE actually removing stuff.

Call 622-2000 for more specific info/to report tent leaving buttheads!

I think all anyone is asking for is removal of personal items at the end of the day- not a lot to ask! We arrived at Grayton yesterday evening with the weather looking potentially stormy, and all I could think of was having to spend the next few hours fishing people's tents out of the gulf and lake after a storm blew up and blew the tents down.

Beach going habits have to be different now than they were 20 years ago- there are so many more people on the beach now! What used to work with only a handful of people does not work with a beach packed with tourists. The things everyone used to do (like leaving stuff out overnight) won't work with these kind of tourist numbers. It's called adapting to the changes in our area, and in this case if people don't start adapting and following the rules and setting a good example for visitors, we will certainly have week after week of beach crap littering the water and beaches.

Be good stewards.

I confiscate everything left at the beach in our neighborhood. If I think our rental guests might benefit, I put the items in the pool-toy closet. Otherwise, I put it in the trash. If someone driving by wants it and can recycle it, all the better.

I even pick up every beer bottle cap or other trash, no matter how minute. I'm pretty OCD about keeping the beach in front of our neighborhood clean.

I know that it's inconvenient to be green, but supporting biodiversity is the moral thing to do for our planet and the generations who follow us.

I'll admit that I am just starting to accept this, but it is slowly sinking into my consciousness.

I think all anyone is asking for is removal of personal items at the end of the day- not a lot to ask! We arrived at Grayton yesterday evening with the weather looking potentially stormy, and all I could think of was having to spend the next few hours fishing people's tents out of the gulf and lake after a storm blew up and blew the tents down.

Beach going habits have to be different now than they were 20 years ago- there are so many more people on the beach now! What used to work with only a handful of people does not work with a beach packed with tourists. The things everyone used to do (like leaving stuff out overnight) won't work with these kind of tourist numbers. It's called adapting to the changes in our area, and in this case if people don't start adapting and following the rules and setting a good example for visitors, we will certainly have week after week of beach crap littering the water and beaches.
'




Be good stewards.

I agree--but 20 years ago most people did not cart all this stuff to the beach.
A blanket a cooler and maybe an umbrella. Now,

The TDC sent out a reminder last week about it - it's the sticky in this forum, so I would hope they ARE actually removing stuff.

Call 622-2000 for more specific info/to report tent leaving buttheads!

I've seen the sticky. I've seen the signs.

I haven't seen the tags, nor have I seen the truck loading up stuff.

Lotsa stuff on the beach down here at Eastern Lake, every morning.

I've seen the sticky. I've seen the signs.

I haven't seen the tags, nor have I seen the truck loading up stuff.

Lotsa stuff on the beach down here at Eastern Lake, every morning.

Maybe the code enforcers weren't quite ready for the summer and need a little more preparation time.

Y'all have changed me in a year.

The people (tourists to the nth degree!) that I come with every year have become progressively worse. 12 years ago I don't remember leaving as much as a chair on the beach overnight. Then they started having babies, and brought the little baby tents, and they would leave things like chairs and volleyball nets over the weekend on the beach. Now they leave big tents, all the chairs, the volleyball nets, those games where you throw the balls on the strings, ocean kayaks...

I'm not at all defending their behavior, but I knew that it would be an exercise in futility to tell my peeps to bring it all in every night. The tourists just don't get it, y'all. (How funny--I said that like I'm not a tourist!) They're just here for the weekend, and they're either a) peeing on their territory, or b) loving SoWal so well that they feel at home to leave their stuff out their overnight.

Once again--I don't defend the behavior. I take my chair and my stack of books out when I go and back in when I go. But I don't see, practically speaking, how the attitudes of people who are here for 4 days a year are going to be changed. I almost wish that the powers that be DID have the manpower to pick up the tents, nets, and chairs every night so that the beachgoers would realize that their stuff is not safe out there.

It's pretty odd that the stuff isn't disappearing or being tagged. I distinctly remember during spring break seeing TDC trucks constantly loaded to the brim with beach junk. Is this perhaps a result of people complaining about the removal during spring break?

Y'all have changed me in a year.

The people (tourists to the nth degree!) that I come with every year have become progressively worse. 12 years ago I don't remember leaving as much as a chair on the beach overnight. Then they started having babies, and brought the little baby tents, and they would leave things like chairs and volleyball nets over the weekend on the beach. Now they leave big tents, all the chairs, the volleyball nets, those games where you throw the balls on the strings, ocean kayaks...

I'm not at all defending their behavior, but I knew that it would be an exercise in futility to tell my peeps to bring it all in every night. The tourists just don't get it, y'all. (How funny--I said that like I'm not a tourist!) They're just here for the weekend, and they're either a) peeing on their territory, or b) loving SoWal so well that they feel at home to leave their stuff out their overnight.

Once again--I don't defend the behavior. I take my chair and my stack of books out when I go and back in when I go. But I don't see, practically speaking, how the attitudes of people who are here for 4 days a year are going to be changed. I almost wish that the powers that be DID have the manpower to pick up the tents, nets, and chairs every night so that the beachgoers would realize that their stuff is not safe out there.

In your opinion where does this attitude come from...how do they justify the behavior?

In your opinion where does this attitude come from...how do they justify the behavior?

Lazy ingnorance. It's more convenient to leave the stuff there than schlep it back and forth, and they just don't realize that it's not okay because they don't live there.

Lazy ingnorance. It's more convenient to leave the stuff there than schlep it back and forth, and they just don't realize that it's not okay because they don't live there.

Did you mention that it's a possibility that someone might come by and load up all their stuff and haul it away?