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JBBeached

Beach Comber
Jun 11, 2008
21
27
I am done. It is evident that some here are of the "new" breed of beachfront owner; the kind who were duped into believing their sand was private and who were also duped into paying way too much for their postage stamp sized grassy yard.
Meanwhile, I will go back to every Sunday afternoon on the beach, usually in front of a house of an owner who "gets it." She has told us don't cause issues, clean up after yourself, I'm not here, but when I am, I'll come down and have a beer with you.
That, my friends, is how it used to be before greed took over and how it should be again.

That's how it was before South Walton and 30A became a rental community. When it was mostly a second home community everyone knew everyone and everyone was friendly. The few rental houses back in the day were not the mega mansions rental homes we have today (that sleep 30) and the people were a whole lot friendlier than they are now. Many of the customary use advocates are encouraging some very rude behavior towards beachfront homeowners. Tourists and locals alike have been trying to instigate reactions from homeowners by exhibiting very poor behavior on the beach in front of the houses. That's unacceptable. The county and some of the outspoken proponents of customary use have caused a division in our community that won't go away no matter how the courts decide. The ugly things said and done are out there can't be taken back and won't be forgotten. Renters that have read about all the crap going on here are also trying to stir the pot with rude behavior. It's sad that this is what our community had become.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,862
8,298
Eastern Lake
I agree with you that becoming a completely rental community dominated by absentee owners is what got us to this terrible place. Local proponents in favor of preserving the human right of customary use of the beaches aren't trying to instigate the increase in rude behavior. They are just genuinely angry at the destruction of the beauty of this beach. The truly sad part is that the rude behavior that BFO's use for their excuse to perpetrate this land grab are not locals. They are tourons. This community was made up of nice, gentle people before the invasion of arrogant mega-wealth and monster houses.
 

Jenksy

Beach Fanatic
Oct 25, 2012
799
617
That's how it was before South Walton and 30A became a rental community. When it was mostly a second home community everyone knew everyone and everyone was friendly. The few rental houses back in the day were not the mega mansions rental homes we have today (that sleep 30) and the people were a whole lot friendlier than they are now. Many of the customary use advocates are encouraging some very rude behavior towards beachfront homeowners. Tourists and locals alike have been trying to instigate reactions from homeowners by exhibiting very poor behavior on the beach in front of the houses. That's unacceptable. The county and some of the outspoken proponents of customary use have caused a division in our community that won't go away no matter how the courts decide. The ugly things said and done are out there can't be taken back and won't be forgotten. Renters that have read about all the crap going on here are also trying to stir the pot with rude behavior. It's sad that this is what our community had become.
It is the beachfront homeowners trying to keep people from enjoying the beach who are causing division. Their lawyers make a rude beachgoer look like little baby Jesus.

Causing a ruckus to protect people's right to walk our beaches is power to the people.
 

Shannon Lince

Beach Lover
Sep 9, 2018
103
97
Florida
It is the beachfront homeowners trying to keep people from enjoying the beach who are causing division. Their lawyers make a rude beachgoer look like little baby Jesus.

Causing a ruckus to protect people's right to walk our beaches is power to the people.

Wrong. It is the few very vocal CU advocates using the COUNTY and taxpayer dollars to SUE the beach property owners forced to defend themselves in court using their own money.

Thank you for suing me.

Shannon
 

Jenksy

Beach Fanatic
Oct 25, 2012
799
617
Wrong. It is the few very vocal CU advocates using the COUNTY and taxpayer dollars to SUE the beach property owners forced to defend themselves in court using their own money.

Thank you for suing me.

Shannon
Why not sell and get a house that is private, away from tourists?
 

FloridaBeachBum

Beach Fanatic
Feb 9, 2017
463
112
Santa Rosa Beach
I agree with you that becoming a completely rental community dominated by absentee owners is what got us to this terrible place. Local proponents in favor of preserving the human right of customary use of the beaches aren't trying to instigate the increase in rude behavior. They are just genuinely angry at the destruction of the beauty of this beach. The truly sad part is that the rude behavior that BFO's use for their excuse to perpetrate this land grab are not locals. They are tourons. This community was made up of nice, gentle people before the invasion of arrogant mega-wealth and monster houses.

Have you not read beachfront owners posts that are LOCALS, not "tourons" or even if the majority of owners reside somewhere else; their property rights are the same as your property rights - except to the MHWL. The COMMISSIONERS and those that want what you want, when you want it, those who do not respect private property rights, respect the law and Constitution, who are angry because they are ignorant of the law and of change, are rude calling owners "tourons" and vilifying owners for protecting their property rights from the Walton commissioners's illegal private property land grab, a private land grab that is commissioner's quick "fix" to their beach supply/demand failure. LOCALS like me that are rich for other reasons but not wealthy. LOCAL owners who have to rent their beachfront to pay the multiple tens of thousands of dollars for Walton property taxes. I've paid more in property taxes over the decades than we paid for the property! There is NO "human right of customary use" except in your and other's mind. Show me the facts! Where do you get the human right to customary use. STOP with the vilification of beachfront owners protecting their US Constitutional rights. You are not representative of the nice, gentle locals, locals like me and other beachfront owners, that I know.
 

jodiFL

Beach Fanatic
Jul 28, 2007
2,476
733
SOWAL,FL
LOCAL owners who have to rent their beachfront to pay the multiple tens of thousands of dollars for Walton property taxes.
Why should everyone else have to suffer because some people spent above their means? I could have bought beach front back when I moved to SOWAL (30+ years ago) but I took into consideration the costs of taxes,insurance,repair/replacement in the event of a hurricane, etc. and decided it just wasnt worth it. Its "keeping up with the Jones (and huckabees and bryants)" at its finest.
 

Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,250
9,279
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
I am done. It is evident that some here are of the "new" breed of beachfront owner; the kind who were duped into believing their sand was private and who were also duped into paying way too much for their postage stamp sized grassy yard.
Meanwhile, I will go back to every Sunday afternoon on the beach, usually in front of a house of an owner who "gets it." She has told us don't cause issues, clean up after yourself, I'm not here, but when I am, I'll come down and have a beer with you.
That, my friends, is how it used to be before greed took over and how it should be again.

Thank you @ShallowsNole for sharing your experiences and knowledge from your work with Walton County over the years.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,862
8,298
Eastern Lake
Have you not read beachfront owners posts that are LOCALS, not "tourons" or even if the majority of owners reside somewhere else; their property rights are the same as your property rights - except to the MHWL. The COMMISSIONERS and those that want what you want, when you want it, those who do not respect private property rights, respect the law and Constitution, who are angry because they are ignorant of the law and of change, are rude calling owners "tourons" and vilifying owners for protecting their property rights from the Walton commissioners's illegal private property land grab, a private land grab that is commissioner's quick "fix" to their beach supply/demand failure. LOCALS like me that are rich for other reasons but not wealthy. LOCAL owners who have to rent their beachfront to pay the multiple tens of thousands of dollars for Walton property taxes. I've paid more in property taxes over the decades than we paid for the property! There is NO "human right of customary use" except in your and other's mind. Show me the facts! Where do you get the human right to customary use. STOP with the vilification of beachfront owners protecting their US Constitutional rights. You are not representative of the nice, gentle locals, locals like me and other beachfront owners, that I know.

Why don't you try reading more slowly, like at a Trump mentality. I said the "abuse" the BFO's keep bringing up, was done by "tourons", not locals. I didn't call any homeowner a "touron". If there is no such right as customary use of the beach, you got nothing to sweat about, do you? I think we are entitled to a chance to prove this in a court of law, don't you? Why are you villifying people that just want to carry on with what they have been doing for hundreds of years. YOU and your signs and your lawyers are the agent of change, and that change isn't morally right. When you got here, when your purchased your property, there were people using the beach in the custom they have always used it, and you were well aware of it.
 
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