Lets be realistic here. There are basically two opinions on how the beach is to be used. You have the canopy users (families trying to enjoy the beach by relaxing in the shade, listening to music, reading books, playing in the water, building sand castles, watching kids play and making memories) and the anti-canopy crowd (those that want the beach to be uncluttered at all times with hopes of making a pristine environment for themelves and to save the sea turtle). This anti-canopy crowd may say that daytime canopies are OK, however the reality is that they don't want any large canopies or clutter on the beach. Unfortunately we beach vacationers like to have fun, we like for our children to have fun, we like to take lots of photos of the fun, we like to have fun under our large canopies that can fit several people engaging in all sorts of conversations and drinking all sorts of fun beach drinks. Yes, I said large canopy. Our canopy is large and has sand anchors...it does not blow away! Not even during pre-hurricane winds. My family has been enjoying Florida this way since 1965 when we built a house on the beach. We respect the environment. We respect the locals and other vacationers. We also have always left our canopy, our sailboat, and other items on the beach without ever having a problem. So now what is the problem? The anti-canopy crowd is trying to create their version of Shangri La by putting an end to our large canopy use. They live near a very popular beach and now want to change it. Our canopy is simply too big to bring in every day and set up again each morning. My family will not fit under beach umbrellas or wimpy four pole canopies! This anti-canopy crowd may say that we are disturbing the environment……but as I said before, I respect the environment and never leave trash or other loose items on the beach (actually we take keeping the environment clean very seriously and I often find myself collecting other’s trash, usually from the beach umbrella users that grab up the umbrella and leave cans and bottles behind). We stay away from the turtle eggs and teach our children to do the same. The save-the-turtle crowd needs to put its priorities straight and spend their precious time on a real issue such as the homeless, the hungry children of Africa, slave trade, drug abuse, wife abuse, child abuse or making sure that Obama does not get elected president….there are many to choose from that make saving the turtle seem as insignificant as it really is!
I say America is the great nation that it is today because of our social interactions and creative thinking, a lot of which takes place on vacation…on the beach (under canopies). This is one of the freedoms that make America great, but now there is a law that aids in the obstruction of this freedom. In closing, my family depends on our beach vacation for a time of relationship growth and bonding and I cannot sit back and be threatened by this anti-family(canopy) law without speaking up!
