Tents Size Allowed On the Beach in South Walton

Are they present in silimar numbers to Lidiots?

Ok, what's a Lidiot?

We are not the only beach community with tent issues. Interesting read...

Beach Patrol Confronts a New Menace: Oversize Tents

Beach Patrol Confronts a New Menace: Oversize Tents
Rehoboth Beach, Del., joins other seaside towns in banning ‘nontraditional shading devices’

Code Enforcement was driving down the beach and was stopped by tourists. Noticing that he wasn't in a hurry, we asked him about a tents size etc, rather than go up and fill out the form. That's exactly what he said to do. Go fill out the online form.

The main problem with people getting upset about tents seems to be that they didn't know ahead of time. With almost everything we have issues with on the beaches of South Walton, the root of the problem is a lack of education and notification. While there are always a few people who will think the rules do not apply to them ("I've been coming here for 10 years and have always done this or that"), most people are happy to comply if they just know what the "rules" are. If they know the rules ahead of time and don't like them, they'll generally go elsewhere. The problem comes in when they don't know the rules and they have planned and prepared thinking that they are going to go to the beach to set up their brand new 12'x12' canopy, stock it with a whole day's worth of food, drinks, diapers, toys, floats, and whatever else they think they need to stay all day, they have a hole digging competition, maybe smoke and drink or have a party, and THEN.....they find out that they can't have a tent larger than 6'x6' and all of a sudden, their outdoor kitchen/family/rec room is out of compliance. Education gets even more significant once beachgoers spread out on to privately owned beaches. How can anyone tell which white sand is truly public and which is customary use? How do we make sure that people know the difference in the rules when on public beach vs. customary use beach? We can do better at educating our locals and our tourists. This would be a fitting project for the TDC. Let's "market" the beauty of our beaches, the uniqueness of our environment and wildlife, the protections needed to preserve what we have, and the rules that allow everyone to enjoy the beach together.

Before someone points it out, enforcement of the rules is a critical component, too.

Maybe we should look at going ahead with beach renurishment for more room. It worked out great in Carillion beach

That train left the station forever. Beach front homeowners saw to that, government paid-for beach insurance for 30 years. Owners NO WAY....who rules SOWAL?

It's amazing that, in such a small piece of Paradise, one can find so much to whine about.......jeez, try finding the good to share (there is a lot).

It's amazing that, in such a small piece of Paradise, one can find so much to whine about.......jeez, try finding the good to share (there is a lot).

Good, I hope they never enforce that stupid rule. Bunch of whining babies. Cry me a river.

Good, I hope they never enforce that stupid rule. Bunch of whining babies. Cry me a river.

Where exactly are code enforcement officers telling people to not come back with the tent or be fined? I own gulf front and when they have shown up for tents on my property , I have watched code enforcement help move the tents onto neighboring property. Those same tents continue to go up the rest of the week , with code enforcement driving by. Beyond that , how on earth are these tourists supposed to have any clue of the rules ? Every day it looks like a refugee camp up and down the beach . Most times the people coming over the neighborhood walkover are toting tents and lots of times before sunrise .

All tents should be banned on all beaches - private or public. No umbrella vendors either except at resorts. If you need and umbrella, bring your own, use the ones provided by rental house or company, or stay at a resort.

It's really not that complicated - let our beaches be clean and uncluttered and people will want to come here. If they want to go somewhere that allows tents and has vendors then let them go.