Policy on Personal Beach Chairs vs Vendor

Are there any regulations as to when and where and rental company can set up chairs and umbrellas on the beach? When vacationing in Seagrove Beach this summer there was a wall of umbrellas and chairs lined up by
6:00am, most of which went unoccupied. I could barely see the gulf from my spot behind them and had to zigzag between chairs and under umbrellas just to reach the water. The rental guy refused to say what time they set up but another vacationer advised 6:00am. I ultimately woke up every day at 5:30am just to set up my tent. Upon returning to the beach later in the morning a rental chair/umbrella was set up six inches from my tent. Ridiculous. Makes the drive from Maryland not worth it..

This is an email I sent to Walton County BCC and TDC stating your problems.
For what it's worth you are only one of 100's and 100's of visitors that experience this ridiculous activity which is restricted but NOT enforced often.
Unfortunately this activity and greed of beach boy umbrella business tax free
Is destroying SOWAL tourist industry.

From SOWAL FORUM..this is going viral..I am twitting it and many more..don't let BCC members with family in beach business rule your group...golden goose for Walton county tax money is nearly destroyed by vendors.Do you really think vendors pay all taxes? Also do you think there future sales will support county after bed tax drops?? This guy isn't driving 20 hrs to look at umbrellas........Better wake up and move vendors back 30' like PCB

Can you post BCC and TDC emails. Maybe @Burgess and other visitors would like to join in letting the commissioners understand their perspectives.

Meacindy@co.walton.fl.usa C. Meadows
Joncecilia@co.walton.fl.usa C. Jones
Brian@visitsouthwalton.com Brian K. TDC manager

Thank you!

We are back at Sowal and see that the beach chair rentals are now $365 for 6 days. When we first started visiting Sowal there weren't very many vendors and now the beaches are completely dominated by the . Further, the beaches are all divided up in small portions this year with ropes and signs stating where you can sit and can't sit depending on where you are staying.

Anyway, if we wake up early and go down to the beach to set up first, then walk the beach with the kids, can these vendors move my things? I just don't want to be behind 3 rows of chairs because I can't see my children in the water.

Thanks so much!

Letters with notification of the new Ordinance have been going out and they give a July 15th deadline for beach front owners to remove their signs, posts, chains, ropes, barbed wire, etc.

It also advised of a $500 fine...

Folks, we seen Sheriff Mike and the BCC do the "Walton Two Step" and win on dancing with the Stars.

Next we are going to see TDC Code Enforcement show use something called "Walton County Selective Enforcement".

July 15th, owners will be cited.

The problem here is that TDC Code Enforcement, is really good and has the track record to prove it, in giving "verbal warnings" and "written warnings" on other violations. Rarely do they issue a summons or civil infraction (fine).

If they plan to enforce the new Ordinance, I'll expect the vendors that stack chairs in the dunes and all the other left overs on the beach to not only be removed but also fined the same amount.

Anything less would scream of selective enforcement and one could argue discriminatory practices by a government agent / agency.

Sniff, sniff, smell another law suit!

"No. The vendors are not allowed to move your beach set up."

If a vendor's setup is unoccupied and not marked "reserved", Can it be moved?

This new addition to rentals (12x12 cabanas with hammocks, etc...) are going to break beach communities.
Hopefully voters will wake up! Vendor issues are getting out of hand and a major source of the beach problems facing the county.

I was talking to a code enforcement guy the other day. He stated it's not a vendor problem its a public beach vs private problem. He said on county beach they only use 50% and it is strictly enforced and followed by the vendors. He said the public not renting chairs can use 100 % of county beach. He said most of the time when you see a bunch of unrented chairs its on private property. He said as long as they have permission from the owners of the property they can set up how many ever sets they want. In some cases the owners want them to line the beach up to keep beachgoers off of their property. He said the vendors have it bad because they are caught in the middle.

So they want the vendors to set up on their property to keep beachgoers off. Doesn't that sound a contradictory? You sure it isn't more about the property owners charging for the use of their beach?

Private property owners do get paid by vendors for their beach space but they contract the vendors to line the beach so only there renters can use it. Have you been to Watercolor, Sandestin, Rosemary, Seascape?

I was under the understanding that the beach service vendors bid the use of beach with the property owners/resorts?
And that bidding process provides a percentage of the vendors gross to the property owner?

Well it still seems odd they don't want to people on their beach, unless they can get paid. So if I sit on the beach without renting a chair, what happens?

Please don't quote me on this but I think different areas have different style contracts for beach service. My friends HOA actually does not get any money from the vendor. The vendor just sets up chairs at the request of the HOA to take up the private beach.[/QUOTE

Quoted.

I would definitely go to Dune Allen Beach where old Florida still exists but still close to everything.

I was talking to a code enforcement guy the other day. He stated it's not a vendor problem its a public beach vs private problem. He said on county beach they only use 50% and it is strictly enforced and followed by the vendors. He said the public not renting chairs can use 100 % of county beach. He said most of the time when you see a bunch of unrented chairs its on private property. He said as long as they have permission from the owners of the property they can set up how many ever sets they want. In some cases the owners want them to line the beach up to keep beachgoers off of their property. He said the vendors have it bad because they are caught in the middle.

With all due respect, youre wrong. It's definitely a vendor problem. Used to be, we could bring our umbrella and chairs to the nearest public access and find a place to set up whenever we felt like heading down to the beach.

Now:
1. 50% of the beach is occupied by vendor setups at 6am and all these setups are unoccupied.
2. Since Non-vendors only have access to half of the area that they used to have, they get out earlier also. By 8am, there is no space left.
3. Vendors will move your stuff if it's in their 50% and you're not around.
4. Vendors are now beginning to store piles of chairs and umbrellas at the toe of the dune. Imagine what would happen if everybody did this.
5. Vacationers are beginning to complain about the vendors.
6. The vendor areas are chosen without regard to any input from the public.

I could go on, but you get the point. This isn't getting any better and we need to address it in the near future.

I was talking to a code enforcement guy the other day. He stated it's not a vendor problem its a public beach vs private problem. He said on county beach they only use 50% and it is strictly enforced and followed by the vendors. He said the public not renting chairs can use 100 % of county beach. He said most of the time when you see a bunch of unrented chairs its on private property. He said as long as they have permission from the owners of the property they can set up how many ever sets they want. In some cases the owners want them to line the beach up to keep beachgoers off of their property. He said the vendors have it bad because they are caught in the middle.

I am just stating what the code guy said. It is his job. He is on the beach everyday.He knows what hes talking about. Vendors have stored chairs by the toe of the dunes since 1976. You know why I know this because I was here then.

Please don't quote me on this but I think different areas have different style contracts for beach service. My friends HOA actually does not get any money from the vendor. The vendor just sets up chairs at the request of the HOA to take up the private beach.

Due to unsettled weather forecasts with projected potential for storm surge, Walton County has extended temporary blanket authority to all permitted vendors to access the beach via public access locations for the sole purpose of removing equipment.

The blanket permit will be in effect from 12:00 p.m., August 30, 2016, until 5:00 p.m., Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Any vehicles used must be 4-wheel drive, licensed and insured, and must remain under 5 miles per hour while traversing the public beach.

For more information, contact the Walton County TDC Beach Operations Department at (850) 267-4578.