Beach Bonfires soon to be BANNED?

I sure hope not!! :angry:

Surely the county can set a reasonable limit and permit accordingly. So many rules and regulations! This is the price for popularity. Be careful what you wish for.

If you want to further promote the dissension between "private" vs. "public" beach usage just enact something like banning bonfires on the beach. What a stupid idea. If there is the right kind of permitting and supervision of bonfires there is no need to ban them. What is the rationale for this move? It is the first I've heard of it.

If you want to further promote the dissension between "private" vs. "public" beach usage just enact something like banning bonfires on the beach. What a stupid idea. If there is the right kind of permitting and supervision of bonfires there is no need to ban them. What is the rationale for this move? It is the first I've heard of it.

I know I was totally shocked. I had mentioned to one of the county attorney's that I wanted to get with them to go over the beach activities ordinance to fix the problems with bonfire permitting and was told that bonfires would be banned before we could go through and fix the ordinance. I think it is something the State is making Walton County do to protect turtles or something like that.

If I wanted to live in a Nanny state, I would have moved to England a while back...

If I wanted to live in a Nanny state, I would have moved to England a while back...

Why not just limit it to turtle season? That I could understand. It's not the time of year for bonfires, anyway.

With that said, I am getting kind of tired of seeing the dregs of bonfires on the beach. I wish people would embrace the idea of leaving no trace.

I thought the whole point of issuing permits for bonfires was to:
1) control when they could occur
2) know who was responsible for any mess left?

I thought the whole point of issuing permits for bonfires was to:
1) control when they could occur
2) know who was responsible for any mess left?

Unfortunately if you have 3 bonfires on Grayton beach in one night and only one party is using a burn barrel. Should they all be punished for the remnants left by a few?

I don't understand what this has to do with turtles unless they are concerned with hatchlings wanting to join your party because they see the light. There aren't so many allowed that it would leave no place for a turtle to come in at night to lay eggs.
Beaches and a bonfire are like peanut butter and jelly. They just go together.

The original ordinance provided for a fire container to be provided with the permit issued. Never done - nadda, zero. There have been over 400 permits issued this year raising approx. 20,000. Folks understand this - it is simply a revenue stream for the county.

They have never enforced any portion of the ordinance, but they rake in the money.

I guess the turtles bump into the fire remnants people leave on the beach - no enforcement no cleanup.

So be it - the Green Wave has hit and before long I will not even be able to sit on property and watch the sunset.

We have to have the habitat preservation plan because we allow sea walls.

I just had one last Saturday. Good times. Planning on having another in early June. I hope this isn't true. Do we really have a problem? I am under the impression that generally the beach bonfire thing is working just fine...

I just can not imagine what the soiree is going to be like in the fall without a bonfire. It is cold enough out there in the spring.

I haven't tried in awhile, but you used to pay for the permit at the annex and pick up the barrel at the sheriff's station. Guess I need to get out more.

Before long they will ban walking on the beach so as not to traumatize the turtles. 100,000 people will look funny sunning and bathing at the 331 bridge.

i have bonfires every full moon. we call it the full bone party. its a blast!!! at one time you went to the sheriff's office, paid $50 for a permit, they GAVE you a burn barrel and the permit on the day of the fire. you had your fire and left the burn barrel on the beach. they would pick up the barrel for you the next day (after it cooled) and then you could go and get $25 back. great system. now, you go to the south walton annex, sign in, wait in line, go into the codes office, fill out the paper work, pay the $50 and you must provide and show them your burn barrel. you get no money back. you must remove the burn barrel your self. vehicles must be off grayton beach by 10 pm so in order to remove the burn barrel by ten so you dont have to carry it by hand across the beach it needs to be cooled down enough to put in the truck. so really you need to end the bonfire before dark so as to move the barrel by ten. or you can stay on the beach without a vehicle which there are plenty of places to have a bonfire besides driving on grayton and have the fire as long as you want. but you still have to remove a hot barrel or douse it with water which creates its own crazy sooty ember mess. the old system was very user friendly. this one is not so much. when they picked the barrel up for you the next day there was way less mess because the barrel cooled down without drenching the fire in water. hope they dont end it all together though because its my favorite thing to do!!! i am inspected and checked up for my permit every time and i appreciate that enforcement. the crazy thing is i have seen several fires that weren't in barrels - just holes in the sand and those fires were not stopped by the sheriff? maybe you don't need a barrel? never asked about it though.

Well with code enforcement working weekends maybe they will put somebody on nights to pick the barrel up?

100,000 people will look funny sunning and bathing at the 331 bridge.

This could endanger the hermit crabs that hang out in the shallows on the bay floor.

This is another example of government legislating our lives.

Legislation banning all vehicles (except the code enforcement police), from Grayton beach will be next!

I am not against reasonable regulations, but things are getting out of

hand with this government intervention thing!

This could endanger the hermit crabs that hang out in the shallows on the bay floor.

How in the world could I have looked that issue over? Let me google hermit crab habitat in Walton County.

Speaking of marine life, one day a snail was mugged by a turtle. When asked by police what happened, the snail replied "I don't know, it all happened so fast"

Speaking of marine life, one day a snail was mugged by a turtle. When asked by police what happened, the snail replied "I don't know, it all happened so fast"

:funn:

Added to SoWal.com home page.

Can anyone tell me where you purchase the barrels from for the bonfire?

Can anyone tell me where you purchase the barrels from for the bonfire?

One of those galvanized metal tubs from the hardware store works.