Reasons Behind Customary Use - Protection or Development?

[Teresa]

My middle school daughter got kicked off of beach areas yesterday while volunteering for for Coastal Clean Up this weekend. "The signs are there for a reason" one person that ejected her said as she was picking up trash on the beach.

Let that sink in.

I can't imagine that happening here in this community. Many people of all ages volunteered for International Coastal Cleanup Day and gave their Saturday morning to take care of our beaches. I thank them all. My teenage son was out there with his school. These events were planned and organized by Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles It's a great thing to do.

 

[L.C. Bane]

I can't imagine that happening here in this community. Many people of all ages volunteered for International Coastal Cleanup Day and gave their Saturday morning to take care of our beaches. I thank them all. My teenage son was out there with his school. These events were planned and organized by Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles It's a great thing to do.

The CU battle has surpassed ugly. She is short in stature but very strong. She took it in stride. She was born and raised here. She wasn't even complaining when she told me. She just thought it was ( to paraphrase) odd.

 

[Whelk]

Is this fight really about preserving our beaches or allowing more access to big money developers who want to start a second tier north of 30a but only if they can gain access to our beaches through this customary use doctrine.

Why has Walton County recently started purchasing more property on the beach (across from Stinkys) after all these years? Is this part of the plan? Did I read recently that a developer wanted to build another Watercolor or Watersound type development north of 30a near Santa Rosa Beach or in that area?

How are they going to get access to the beach when a majority of the beach is private homes? We need to look at the big picture. Wouldn’t keeping our beaches private like they are now actually have the effect of preserving our beaches and allowing more access for everyone long term by deterring over development by these big money developers?

I don’t recall anyone complaining about access to the beach until this issue of customary use suddenly came up. Who raised this issue and what is their agenda? Are we all just being used as pawns in a much bigger scheme for others to profit from customary use? Who really stands to benefit from implementing customary use?

Have they hired a public relations committee to tell them how they can manipulate the local citizens to create a grass root movement to help them push through customary use ...not to preserve our beaches but to subject them to overdevelopment? We need to know what is really going on behind the scenes. More development means more money for the county and certain individuals could profit immensely. Is that really what we want for our beaches?

Could our area become another Destin/Panama City? Wouldn’t the private property owners be better stewards and provide more protection for our beaches and unique dune lakes with eco systems that exist nowhere else in the world than the overdevelopment that may come with customary use?

Be careful what you wish for...and follow the money. If private beaches are a deterrent or obstacle to big money developers or over development, do we really want to remove that obstacle? If we crack that door, could it be flung wide open in a way we never intended or anticipated. What’s next? Removal of the 4 story restriction? Waterslides, amusement parks, a pier park, or Destin Commons?

 

[Whelk]

There is your answer. "Walton county is shovel ready."