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Mike Huckabee’s role in pushing controversial beach access law

Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
37,871 views1
Mike Huckabee’s role in pushing controversial beach access law

Newly-released emails show an exchange between the former Arkansas governor and a key senator.



A beach sign in Destin [Scott Keeler - Times]
By Steve Bousquet
9/10/2018

Scott skipped a planned campaign stop in Walton County on Sunday to avoid protesters who oppose his stand on the issue.

On Jan. 12, Huckabee wrote an email to Passidomo, thanking her for her sponsorship of a bill "involving the customary use abuse by Walton Co."

"I'm one of those beachfront owners whose title goes to mean high water line," he wrote. "Walton Co. taxes me on that property and I pay handsomely for it! I actually don't mind people who simply want to enjoy the beach and certainly not walk on or past. … What beachfront owners object to is illegal taking of taxed and titled property without compensation or even consideration. In fact, we are demonized as 'greedy, selfish and rich' owners who want to deprive the poor of their 'rights.'

Here's more of Huckabee's email to Passidomo.



In reply, Passidomo called customary use a "contentious issue" and said there has been a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about it.

"What happened in Walton County seems to me to be the county acting as prosecutor, judge and jury, all for the county's benefit," Passidomo wrote.

In response, Huckabee wrote back to Passidomo and said: "Either private property rights mean something or they don't. I'm genuinely thankful that you are fighting this battle."

Santa Rosa Beach attorney Daniel Uhlfelder, a leader of Florida Beaches for All, a local group that wants to preserve beach use, said Huckabee's view is wrong. "It's not a private property rights issue," Uhlfelder said. "It's about the use of beaches."
https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/09/10/mike-huckabees-role-in-pushing-for-controversial-beach-access-law/

Replies

142
Jenksy avatar
Beach Fanatic
#2
I know that Huckabee has neighbors who are not happy with the gaudy mansion he built with the giant walls around the property and the glaring lights that violate the lighting ordinance. Maybe some of his neighbors are messing wit him.

We know that tourists can be a bit of a problem on our beaches but he is on a very quiet stretch. Hmmmm ....
Lake View Too avatar
SoWal Insider
#3
Or maybe he's just lying about the extent of this "abuse"...just a family trait?
PoppaJ avatar
SoWal Insider
#4
He probably believes God told him to deny common people access to the beach he so richly deserves.
boomerang avatar
Beach Lover
#5
Can someone find out when he got quiet title to the dry sand he does NOT pay taxes on.

The fact he was a man of God is what makes this totally disgusting. That is why I can get over this.

I kinda doubt about the condoms etc - just a ploy to privatize the beach he paid $100 to quiet title.
gumby avatar
Beach Lover
#6
I kinda doubt about the condoms etc - just a ploy to privatize the beach he paid $100 to quiet title.

I can betcha the condom quote is probably correct. I`ve found many used condoms on our community gazebo on many occasions. There are disgusting people who use our beaches and have no respect for anybody`s property.
There is one topic that was touched on that seems to be forgotten in all this CU hoopla. There are all the PUBLIC beach access STILL open to the PUBLIC. This whole issue is making it sound as if the PUBLIC beach access are becoming privatized. That is what makes me so frustrated over this whole issue.
Lake View Too avatar
SoWal Insider
#7
Public accesses are being shut down through quiet title. And the county has not stepped up to challenge them. My question is have these quiet title proceedings been advertised correctly and the affected neighbors been notified correctly?
Teresa avatar
SoWal GuideAuthor
#8
Public accesses are being shut down through quiet title. And the county has not stepped up to challenge them. My question is have these quiet title proceedings been advertised correctly and the affected neighbors been notified correctly?

An important issue that we'll be hearing much more about. Good.
boomerang avatar
Beach Lover
#9
No one should be able to kick us off a beach front they only paid $100 to get

a travesty pure and simple
Beach Lover
#10
Maybe we can help catch the perps. Did he mention what size the condoms were? Were they rainbow colored? :D
gumby avatar
Beach Lover
#11
Where are the PUBLIC beach access being shutdown? PUBLIC beach access are owned by the county so I really do not see any signs of private owners taking a PUBLIC access and called it private.
Low Brow avatar
Beach Lover
#12
"Walton Co. taxes me on that property and I pay handsomely for it!

Can someone explain where this idea comes from? I really don't understand how they(becahfront owners) have come to this conclusion.
Teresa avatar
SoWal GuideAuthor
#13
Can someone explain where this idea comes from? I really don't understand how they(becahfront owners) have come to this conclusion.

Good question.
Jim Tucker avatar
Beach Fanatic
#14
Can someone explain where this idea comes from? I really don't understand how they(becahfront owners) have come to this conclusion.
Not sure but I think the contrived logic is that they pay higher taxes than non gulf front owners.
Beach Lover
#15
When I first moved here in the early 90's . My favorite beach access was next to stallworth lake. The last time there seen 4x4 post and ropes on beach. You would think before buying the property , that people used the beach and they where not the first to discover it.
Lake View Too avatar
SoWal Insider
#16
Where are the PUBLIC beach access being shutdown? PUBLIC beach access are owned by the county so I really do not see any signs of private owners taking a PUBLIC access and called it private.
That’s what is happening at Headland access across from Whiskey Bravo and at Beachside Drive Access near Eastern Lake. It’s probably happening at more accesses I don’t know about. These are right of ways that the county should have recorded and owners are filing quiet title to get them abandoned. The county has been slow to defend them.
boomerang avatar
Beach Lover
#17
Well what do you have to say now "fact or fiction"?

Huckabee has been exposed

Trader of the people

defender of the elite

Taker of the beach by quiet title for $100
FactorFiction avatar
Beach Fanatic
#18
Public accesses are being shut down through quiet title. And the county has not stepped up to challenge them. My question is have these quiet title proceedings been advertised correctly and the affected neighbors been notified correctly?
Public accesses are being shut down through quiet title. And the county has not stepped up to challenge them. My question is have these quiet title proceedings been advertised correctly and the affected neighbors been notified correctly?
Where has this happened?
Lake View Too avatar
SoWal Insider
#19
I just posted, above, the two locations I am aware of : Headland Access across from Whiskey Bravo, and Beachside Drive Access, just west of Sugar Dunes Condominium. There may be others I'm not aware of.
ShallowsNole avatar
Beach Fanatic
#20
What I want to know is where the MILES of public beaches he mentioned are. All I know about are Grayton Beach, small swaths of beach at the regional beach accesses, very small easements at the neighborhood beach accesses, and the three state parks. That doesn't equal miles.
FactorFiction avatar
Beach Fanatic
#21
What I want to know is where the MILES of public beaches he mentioned are. All I know about are Grayton Beach, small swaths of beach at the regional beach accesses, very small easements at the neighborhood beach accesses, and the three state parks. That doesn't equal miles.
There are approximately 9 miles of publicly owned beaches counting the parks.
ShallowsNole avatar
Beach Fanatic
#22
There are approximately 9 miles of publicly owned beaches counting the parks.

Take out the parks, which require admission fees (the state waived them for the summer, but that's over now), and how many are left?
FactorFiction avatar
Beach Fanatic
#23
Take out the parks, which require admission fees (the state waived them for the summer, but that's over now), and how many are left?
A little over 3 miles if I recall correctly. The parks are definitely a larger percentage than the Walton County owned areas.

Edited

Lake View Too avatar
SoWal Insider
#24
It might be interesting to find out how many tourists are using the beaches of South Walton on any given sun day, to see how many human beings are suppose to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness per mile.
FactorFiction avatar
Beach Fanatic
#25
A little over 3 miles if I recall correctly. The parks are definitely a larger percentage than the Walton County owned areas.
Correction: A little over 3 miles is either Walton County owned or undesignated ownership on Walton property appraiser site. Why it is undesignated I don't know, but it is used by the public and Walton County considers it public.
Shannon Lince avatar
Beach Lover
#26
Can someone explain where this idea comes from? I really don't understand how they(becahfront owners) have come to this conclusion.

Most of these properties are paying $20,000 - $50,000 a year in property tax. The highest I've seen $100,000 a year.

Say it all together now ... the beach isn't taxed! It's worthless!

Shannon

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