Seawalls Built on Public Beach

[TooFarTampa]

I would have a survey completed before I built a fence. These yahoos were installing an expensive seawall and geotube, costing many thousands of dollars, yet they didn't have a simple survey completed prior to spending all that money. That should be the first thought addressed by the County Commissioners. Hello!!! Are you reading this???

I'm trying to figure out why the contractor(s) wouldn't require one. No licensed fencing company would put up a picket fence without a current survey. Why would the contractor not do the same? I honestly am stunned that Ro Cutchens has not been asked to resign over this. It is not enough that he is recusing himself from the vote. What a joke. He helped CAUSE the problem and has not done his job as a commissioner of protecting county property. The homeowners are also at fault, of course, but a licensed general contractor should know enough to follow the law and do no harm. But a county commissioner playing a part in this? It is unbelievable and shows that Walton County has a lot of growing up to do.

 

[Here4Good]

Who was the contractor on this job?

 

[TooFarTampa]

From Rita's original post:

NOTE: *I have omitted Commissioner Cuchens as a contact email as a company owned by him built many of the walls which are the subject of this meeting. As such, he will not be voting or participating in this issue.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I think it was noted in one meeting by someone, not Ro, that Ro's company installed more than 60% of the emergency seawalls in Walton County last year.

As TFT, you would think that a normal, average (responsible) company would try to lessen their risk, and require a survey prior to constructing anything. I guess this shows us a little something about Ro's company.

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

..... you would think that a normal, average (responsible) company would try to lessen their risk, and require a survey prior to constructing anything.

In the end, the OWNER is responsible for the location of the retaining wall. The owner can then sue their retaining wall contractor for faulty installation or breach of contract UNLESS the owner had instructed him in writing to proceed without a survey. Also I guess if the contractor was consistantly negligent, their license could be yanked.

Keep in mind that there were some time issues. Retaining walls had to be "started" by a certain date. Some surveyors got behind on their promise date forcing some owners to proceed without a survey. I don't know about this particular situation. However someone posted the wall was out past the boundary by several feet. I could understand an error of a foot or two.

Question: Why do some gulf front properties own all the way to the water line as opposed to those homes on Montgomery Street that only own just part of the beach?

These homes on Montgomery Street are some of the first homes in the area...long before most of us ever heard of Seagrove...even older than some of us are ;-) . I'm just wondering what allowed the different platting rules. If anything, I would think the newer properties would not own to the water line and the older properties would (but that's my simplistic view).

 

[seacrestkristi]

:scratch: How conveeeenient for the contractor!!! Seems like if a homeowner signs a contract that states the contractor will obtain all permits that the contractor should be held liable, otherwise what is his final motivation to comply with environmental protection laws, greed for the big buck or good ethics?

Also could someone actually come out and tell me to get off their beach? Doesn't the actual beach belong to us all? What a nerve for someone to claim the beach as their own private property! Sounds like the white man taking everything of nature as their own private land like in our American history books. Anyone can fish off the dock I built on Old Hickory Lake in my backyard up here in TN. The lake is for everyone and the Army Corp of Engineers enforces guidelines. People should have respected the dunes on the south side of 30A in the first place by not building right on top of them, but they have rights you know. When I saw this giant construction machine jack hammering big steel girters in to the bluff so near the edge of the protected bluff then hollowing out the inside of the bluff, for that new high mess in Seacrest, almost in the dern Gulf of Mexico, I wondered who permitted this mess? It just made you wanna cry seeing the bluff tore up like that. Is that for undergrond parking? When the little Mexican guy flags all the pedestrians around their loud machines over a pile of sand next to oncoming 30A traffic, on even Saturday and Sunday mornings I'm wondering where are the rules. This is ridiculous! Anyone could've easily wrecked their bike in that mess, and even towing babies had to go over their big hump of sand because their machine is on the path whenever they want! Where is enforcement? Are there some kind of favors going on somewhere? Is there an Ethics Review Committee for the county council? Is this construction person related to the council in anyway? Just makes you wonder....

 

[TNJed]

Also could someone actually come out and tell me to get off their beach?

Yes. I've seen it happen.

If it ever happened to me I would politely pick up my stuff, "accidentally" trip and fall over some of THEIR uneven sand on my way out, then tell them I'm going to sue for neglectfully not keeping THEIR beach properly raked. "Oh. You mean I can stay now? Thanks!" ;-)

 

[Bobby J]

Impacts of Seawalls




1) Passive erosion -"Wherever a hard structure is built along a shoreline undergoing long-term net erosion, the shoreline will eventually migrate landward beyond the structure. The effect of this migration will be the gradual loss of beach in front of the seawall or revetment as the water deepens and the shoreface moves landward.... While private structures may be temporarily saved, the public beach is lost. This process of passive erosion appears to be a generally agreed upon result of fixing the position of the shoreline on an otherwise eroding stretch of coast, and is independent of the type of seawall constructed." It is evident that passive erosion will eventually destroy the recreational beach area unless this area is continually replenished. Excessive passive erosion may impact the beach profile such that shallow areas required to create breaking waves for surfing are lost (Seaside Reef).

2) Placement loss - Seawalls are placed on the beach. In many cases, construction of seawalls is on public property (beach). In Solana Beach for example most land for seawalls is leased free of charge to the property owners. This is a taking of extremely valuable public property.

3) Active Erosion - Refers to the interrelationship between wall and beach whereby due to wave reflection, storm surf zone narrowing and a thousand other processes the wall may actually increase the rate of loss of beach. This is site specific and dependent on sand input. There are varying opinions on if this effect actually exists. However, as watchdogs of the coast, until there is overwhelming evidence that this effect is not significant, many of us have opposed seawalls on this basis.

4) Public access impacts - these can be a result of passive erosion, placement loss or active erosion. Seawalls built on eroding beaches, will lead to the loss of access. Solana Beach and North County beaches are eroding.

5) Visual/aesthetic impacts - Seawalls are ugly and detract from simple pleasures as a walk on the beach.

6) Economic issues - local, state or federal subsidies or construction to protect private property, or insurance coverage. Construction is performed on State or Municipal land. The public has never been compensated for this loss of valuable property.

7) Loss of sand supplied by eroding bluffs that are armored. A minimal fee for this sand is collected from property owners for the sand that would provide beach material. Additionally, the eroded area would create a beach. We do not feel the public is sufficiently mitigated for the loss of sand and beach.

8) The most important thing to remember is that a seawall is never built to protect the beach. Rather, it is built to protect property, structures or a cliff from erosion.

 

[Bobby J]

Anita,

We will see you at the meeting.

Bobby J

Surfrider Foundation
PanHandle Chapter

 

[joho]

Question: Why do some gulf front properties own all the way to the water line as opposed to those homes on Montgomery Street that only own just part of the beach?