We chose to have our ceremony on the beach and the evening reception at one of the two beach houses we had rented for the occasion. My brother, who has lived in Santa Rosa Beach for over 11 years, arranged for Dikki Du and the Zydeco Kru to play at the reception, knowing that since the party started at 6:00 and the noise ordinance doesn?t go into effect until 10:00 we would have four hours to enjoy some great music.
Actually, the time you are making noise doesn't matter. People have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their property no matter what time it is. It probably wouldn't be a problem though if you keep the noise level to an acceptable level. Grayton Beach's tolerance for noise is low.
The wedding was on Sunday, October 12 - Columbus Day weekend, and coincidentally the same day as the musician?s march, which we fully supported. We had a small wedding, with only 40 guests.
Tolerance for noise is lower on Sunday, especially in the offseason. The number of guests is irrelevant. The march you mention is about a noise issue. Citizens and the lawmen are more sensitive at the moment.
At 9:20 PM - a full 40 minutes before the noise ordinance goes into effect - a police cruiser pulled up. Without getting out of the vehicle, the cop - who looked like he wasn?t even 21 years old - demanded to talk to the person in charge. My new husband approached the car and the officer yelled ?Cops?-style, ?You have one minute to shut this thing down or you?re getting arrested.?
To which my husband replied, ?Sir, would you mind stepping out of the car so we can discuss this like adults?? (He really said it like that; he?s British and you know how unfailingly polite those Limeys are.)
Why do you mention how old he looked? It makes you sound contemptuous and a little petty. I seriously doubt he threatened arrest within one minute, unless he was responding to an affront, even then it's unlikely even for a rookie. Your husband's response was very disrespectful and insulting in my book, implying that the officer is a child. If he had replied with something reasonable like, "we're wrapping it up now sir, I'll hurry them up", he would probably have left. Whether the officer was polite or not is irrelevant and he's trying to do a job whether you like it or not.
When the rest of the family saw this happening a huge ?WTF? rose from the crowd, and the officer wisely physically let go of my husband. My father approached to try to diffuse the situation, and the officer was even more aggressive with him. He demanded that the party be shut down, despite the fact that he admitted he had not received a noise complaint, and despite the fact that it was still 40 minutes before the ordinance took effect.
He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.
Your father should have kept his distance. Approaching after there has already been contact could be felt as threatening.
He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.
It's not relevant how old your father is, whether he's a nice guy, where he owns property, or where he worked.
My father went down to the Sheriff?s office in Grayton the next day to raise a stink
Really? Raise a stink? What's the point?
40 of us spent ten days in Grayton. We rented two beach houses on Defuniak Street and pumped a hell of a lot of money into the town?s coffers during that time - every meal was eaten in a locally-owned restaurant, every drink was drank at Red Bar or Jambone, local liquor stores, grocery stores, party supply rentals... hell, I even walked the beach every single night filling in the damn holes dug by children we didn't know so the sea turtles wouldn?t fall in and die. My husband and I are considering buying a place down there because we love the area so much, but almost reconsidered because of the treatment we received. Needless to say we were relieved to hear of the complete overhaul the Sheriff?s department is about to get..
This makes you sound like many of the spoiled visitors who come here and think that because you have a lot of money and pump it into us you can do what you want. What do sea turtles have to do with party noise?
You should consider not moving here if such a small incident has made you so angry. You need to be more laid back to live at the beach. One day the "rude cop" could be a funny part of your wedding day story if you would just lighten up.
I understand that this noise ordinance is a touchy issue, as demonstrated by the unfortunate events at the Salty Dog. But for crying out loud, we bent over backwards to make sure that we were within the law - let all the neighbors know what was going on, scheduled within the time frame, etc. - and we still were treated like we were raping and pillaging the town.
I hope this issue is figured out soon, because it is absolutely ruining an otherwise idyllic place.
PS - I have a photo of all of this going down is anyone's interested...
A little dramatic don't you think?
I am certain it would be a mistake to post a photo if it identifies the officer. If you really can't drop the issue
you should do it like an adult. Take it to the Sheriff's office.
