County removing articles from beach?

and :angry:

The TDC has been removing abandoned items left at County owned public access areas. I have checked to make sure this continues and will post later if I learn something has changed.
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The TDC has been removing abandoned items left at County owned public access areas. I have checked to make sure this continues and will post later if I learn something has changed.
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We were within about 50 yards of the South Wall Street public access.

We were within about 50 yards of the South Wall Street public access.

The county-owned access at Wall Street is only the width of the road so the 50 yards would be outside of those boundries and County ownership.
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My thought is that most beaches in America (with notable exceptions) are left relatively clean and clear in the evening compared to nearby panhandle beaches. Tourists know that if they leave items on the beach they may not be there in the morning. If they don't remove items they are gathered by local authorities, or people taking it for their own gain. I doubt there are any serious legal concerns with keeping beaches clean.

I'm not sure how we got into this situation where many people who visit here think they can leave their junk on the beach for as long as they want.

I doubt the county has the manpower to handle the load on holiday weekends, or the busy season for that matter. I think the way to end the problem is to make a commitment to funding education and enforcement, hire subcontractors if necessary, and take a hard line for a couple of years until it becomes common knowledge that you must "remove it or lose it".

"I'm not sure how we got into this situation where many people who visit here think they can leave their junk on the beach for as long as they want."

Kurt, I think the problem stems from the perception in visitors minds that this is the "Red Neck Riviera" and so anything goes. That and many of the beach users are "Red Necks" whose own front yards look like junk yards. No pride in their own private property so why would they have any in the public's. Sorry if this sounds like a harsh assessment but true IMO.

"I'm not sure how we got into this situation where many people who visit here think they can leave their junk on the beach for as long as they want."

Kurt, I think the problem stems from the perception in visitors minds that this is the "Red Neck Riviera" and so anything goes. That and many of the beach users are "Red Necks" whose own front yards look like junk yards. No pride in their own private property so why would they have any in the public's. Sorry if this sounds like a harsh assessment but true IMO.

You may be right about some beaches, but here in SoWal it is more an attitude of, "I am paying a lot of money to you people, I can do what I want". A clear case of bad apples spoiling the bunch.

Laziness and entitlement both seem to be factors IMO. :angry:

And it's definitely not every visitor or tourist. I've seen many people do a great job of cleaning up after themselves - even when that meant toting a double kayak, coolers, and stuff for several kids up and down the multiple flights of stairs each day, so it's definitely DOABLE!

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From: Dave Sell <dsell@beachesofsouthwalton.com>
Date: Sat, 23 May 2009 08:23:13 -0500
To: Kevin Hargett <harkevin@co.walton.fl.us>
Conversation: items on the beach
Subject: Re: items on the beach

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Sounds like Edgewater has won another one.

What is their definition of "hazard"?

Do I have to actually break a bone tripping over the crap in the dark or would some scrapes, bruises, or a sprain suffice? :angry:

What disappoints me is the lack of concern for fellow people. Stuff left for days on the beach are also often left indefinitely when they decide to go back to whereever they come from and what are they going to do with 4 beach chairs and a big bucket full of shovels and toys.
So they leave them on the beach thinking they are doing someone a favor by giving them free stuff....except nobody knows they left and soon, everything is washing in the surf.

I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the conscience some must have to quietly bury their empty beer cans or cigarette butts on the same beaches children are playing on.

I feel for the sea turtles who have to twist and turn to get around stuff...or they just give up trying....disappointed in our county also...if you say you are going to pick up stuff then do it!

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From: Dave Sell <dsell@beachesofsouthwalton.com>
Date: Sat, 23 May 2009 08:23:13 -0500
To: Kevin Hargett <harkevin@co.walton.fl.us>
Conversation: items on the beach
Subject: Re: items on the beach

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[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Kevin,
We were instructed b y the county attorney to immediately cease removing items off the beach unless is a hazard.
Dave
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Nothing good can come from this.

Is anyone in a position to get a statement from the county attorney as to why this position is being taken?

It would help us all to get this directly...

The Edgewater lawsuit over the ordinance is the cause. The ordinance is flawed.

Yes, especially considering how much they spent sending flyers to homeowners telling them to make sure all the renters knew that the county was going to remove everything (no exceptions) that was left behind on the beaches at night.

The Edgewater lawsuit over the ordinance is the cause. The ordinance is flawed.

Can you elaborate on what you know about this lawsuit?

Edgewater sued over removal of personal property from private property and for the order to remove a volley ball net.

The two sides mer last week in the Judges chambers concerning the basis of the suit and the counties failure to produce certain public records.

Should we really be surprised when our marketing efforts to attract those 'too sophisticated' to go to Destin or Panama City succeed and we suffer fools who feel entitled enough to leave a bunch of crap on the beach for a week?

My wife and I have heard that the district attorney has told the beach patrol that the ordinance prohibiting items left on the beaches overnight will no longer be enforced. That would appear to be true, judging by the canopies, chairs, etc sitting on our part of the beach. This would be another big waste of money since the county was spending a lot to put out the word about the policy of removal, which now seems to be dead.

Comments?

Sounds like a DA with a brain. Especially since you do not know what is private/public so no way of knowing if it is abandoned or not.

Is anyone in a position to get a statement from the county attorney as to why this position is being taken?

It would help us all to get this directly...

Until something is decided about what is private and what is public, what in the world do you expect? Contrary to the wishes of many of the people on this board, Obama has yet to seize private property in this country. Although I imagine if gas keeps going up we will have state owned refineries in the not too distant future.

Plus if the government is going to make the case for public safety, then they are going to have to realize that by issuing stickers to anyone that ask to leave items on the beach, they are in effect, defeating their own argument.

Sounds like a DA with a brain. Especially since you do not know what is private/public so no way of knowing if it is abandoned or not.

Sounds short sighted and spineless from my perspective. Allowing the beach to look like a refuge camp is unacceptable under any circumstances. Allowing it to go to pot via the inertia of inactivity when the only reason people come to Walton County is to enjoy the beach is so milquetoast...let the beachfront people sue until they get it through their skulls that stuff left out on the sand after the sun sets is abandoned. It isn't too complicated. I am sure things like the volleyball net at Edgewater can be grandfathered in.

Sounds short sighted and spineless from my perspective. Allowing the beach to look like a refuge camp is unacceptable under any circumstances. Allowing it to go to pot via the inertia of inactivity when the only reason people come to Walton County is to enjoy the beach is so milquetoast...let the beachfront people sue until they get it through their skulls that stuff left out on the sand after the sun sets is abandoned. It isn't too complicated. I am sure things like the volleyball net at Edgewater can be grandfathered in.

What is so hard with this concept? You can not have a different standard for the beach than you do the rest of the county. If I leave something outside in the woods I own after dark, it is not abandoned. My woods, my land, I can leave stuff out overnight if I want too. The same rules apply for the beach if I own it.

Once the public/private beach ownership question is decided, if someone will ever make that decision, the rest will fall into place.

What is so hard with this concept? You can not have a different standard for the beach than you do the rest of the county. If I leave something outside in the woods I own after dark, it is not abandoned. My woods, my land, I can leave stuff out overnight if I want too. The same rules apply for the beach if I own it.

Once the public/private beach ownership question is decided, if someone will ever make that decision, the rest will fall into place.

Do you honestly think anyone is so stupid to not be able to get the concept that the beach is just a wee bit different than some random parcel of woods somewhere?