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BlueMtnBeachVagrant

Beach Fanatic
Jun 20, 2005
1,305
386
Below is a letter written by Mike Huckabee to the Tallahassee Democrat:


Re: Private beaches for the wealthy, paid by the taxpayers

This recent column was a bigger fantasy than Adam Schiff's saying he had evidence of Russia collusion!

It stated that, "Wealthy beachfront property owners, however, led by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, rebelled. They lobbied the Legislature into passing House Bill 631, making it easy for beachfront owners to employ the courts to block the beach. Threatening signs, fences and security guards have been employed to block public beach use."

My “leadership” was limited to sending one email to a state senator’s public website to thank her for taking the time to understand that HB 631 didn’t change ownership of one inch of beach.

Public beaches were and still are public. Beaches deeded as privately owned can’t be confiscated by the government by administrative act. The county must comply with the constitutional protection for private property. If a government wishes to take someone’s property, it must do so through the judicial branch. A legislative body such as the county commissioners can’t conduct a judicial function. It’s a simple separation of powers issue.

Walton County is now seeking to take property it once sold and deeded over to private developments and individuals, using an Old English “customary use” doctrine. Most of us thought our own Constitution — specifically the Fourth and Fifth Amendments — took precedence over some English custom, but today’s new socialists believe if they want it, just get government to take it and pay the owners nothing.

Walton County has already spent north of $1 million on high-octane lawyers suing their own taxpayers, who are now forced to hire attorneys to defend themselves and their property. In other words, beachfront owners are paying both sides of the lawsuit.

Those who demand “customary use” aren’t prohibited from seeking it, but they can’t just obtain it by having politicians do it. They must prove in court that their desire for someone else’s land is more legitimate than the actual deed held by property owners.

No one is “prohibited” from using public beaches, and there are miles of them in Walton County. Most beachfront owners don’t run people off their property, anyway. I haven’t, and despite the lies told, I’ve not placed signs prohibiting people from responsible use of my property.

Had Mr. Lotane done his homework, he would have learned that when Walton County wanted to “re-nourish” the beaches, including those on private property, over 93% of us said “No, we do not want the county to re-nourish beach on private land. That is a homeowner’s responsibility — not the taxpayers.'”

Sadly, the class warfare language of “wealthy people” misses the point. It’s not about wealth. It’s about the law, stuff most of us learned in 9th grade civics.
 

Poppaj

SoWal Insider
Oct 9, 2015
8,149
19,902
Below is a letter written by Mike Huckabee to the Tallahassee Democrat:


Re: Private beaches for the wealthy, paid by the taxpayers

This recent column was a bigger fantasy than Adam Schiff's saying he had evidence of Russia collusion!

It stated that, "Wealthy beachfront property owners, however, led by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, rebelled. They lobbied the Legislature into passing House Bill 631, making it easy for beachfront owners to employ the courts to block the beach. Threatening signs, fences and security guards have been employed to block public beach use."

My “leadership” was limited to sending one email to a state senator’s public website to thank her for taking the time to understand that HB 631 didn’t change ownership of one inch of beach.

Public beaches were and still are public. Beaches deeded as privately owned can’t be confiscated by the government by administrative act. The county must comply with the constitutional protection for private property. If a government wishes to take someone’s property, it must do so through the judicial branch. A legislative body such as the county commissioners can’t conduct a judicial function. It’s a simple separation of powers issue.

Walton County is now seeking to take property it once sold and deeded over to private developments and individuals, using an Old English “customary use” doctrine. Most of us thought our own Constitution — specifically the Fourth and Fifth Amendments — took precedence over some English custom, but today’s new socialists believe if they want it, just get government to take it and pay the owners nothing.

Walton County has already spent north of $1 million on high-octane lawyers suing their own taxpayers, who are now forced to hire attorneys to defend themselves and their property. In other words, beachfront owners are paying both sides of the lawsuit.

Those who demand “customary use” aren’t prohibited from seeking it, but they can’t just obtain it by having politicians do it. They must prove in court that their desire for someone else’s land is more legitimate than the actual deed held by property owners.

No one is “prohibited” from using public beaches, and there are miles of them in Walton County. Most beachfront owners don’t run people off their property, anyway. I haven’t, and despite the lies told, I’ve not placed signs prohibiting people from responsible use of my property.

Had Mr. Lotane done his homework, he would have learned that when Walton County wanted to “re-nourish” the beaches, including those on private property, over 93% of us said “No, we do not want the county to re-nourish beach on private land. That is a homeowner’s responsibility — not the taxpayers.'”

Sadly, the class warfare language of “wealthy people” misses the point. It’s not about wealth. It’s about the law, stuff most of us learned in 9th grade civics.
“It’s about the law” yea right except when it comes to lawfully issuing marriage licenses to gays. Crawl back in your hole with your lying daughter.
 

MrSunshine

Beach Lover
Oct 15, 2019
133
60
Seagrove Beach
I typically vote conservative, although not always.
At one time, I was a big Mike Huckabee fan.
No longer! Someone moves here from out of town, disrupts what has been the beach life significantly and really thinks anyone believes his total involvement with this mess was one email. Nice try.
 

jodiFL

Beach Fanatic
Jul 28, 2007
2,476
733
SOWAL,FL
"Had Mr. Lotane done his homework, he would have learned that when Walton County wanted to “re-nourish” the beaches, including those on private property, over 93% of us said “No, we do not want the county to re-nourish beach on private land. That is a homeowner’s responsibility — not the taxpayers.'”
Had Mr. Huckabees fans had done their homework they would have learned that his house wasnt even built when that case went to court.
 

Stone Cold J

Beach Lover
Jun 6, 2019
150
171
SRB
Nice try Mikey.

Are you saying Huckabee is the root cause of the significant disruption of beach life? What does that mean?

Was he responsible for the Edgewater Court case in 2008 which confirmed private property ownership (yet again - check the Walton Clerk of Court Web Site and read the documents). Was he responsible for every single BCC Beach Ordinance (prior to 2016) which recognized Private Property? The 2016 BCC Ordinance was the FIRST TIME in Walton County History that an ordinance was passed that would have forced occupation of private property against the will of the property owner. The BCC cannot remove State of Florida Property Rights without judicial approval.

How much property has the BCC purchased in the last 10 years? Surely there is more than a couple of lots across from Stinky’s? How many public bathrooms have been added in the last 10 years? How many public parking places have been added in the last 10 years? And now for the BONUS QUESTION, how many more tourists do we have each year compared to 10 years ago.

That is your answer. Nothing to do with Huckabee. Nothing to do with BPO’s private property, which has been private since anyone in Walton County has been alive. It is above overcrowding and the BCC not buying enough property to make more public beaches.

Everyone can still swim, walk, take pictures, or surf the entire 26 miles of Walton county coastline. That has not changed or been disrupted. The only thing that is changed is that there is no more room on public beaches. That is a result of a massive increase of tourists and nothing to do with private property owners or Mike Huckabee.

Nice try Teressa.
 

SUP View

Beach Lover
Jul 22, 2019
51
43
Above Water
I typically vote conservative, although not always.
At one time, I was a big Mike Huckabee fan.
No longer! Someone moves here from out of town, disrupts what has been the beach life significantly and really thinks anyone believes his total involvement with this mess was one email. Nice try.

Explain how Mr. Huckabee, with his noted actions, disrupts the beach life significantly?

Mr. Huckabee did attend a "town meeting" and tried to encourage everyone to find a middle ground. No one on the CU sided had any interest in that notion. But like many progressives these days, the only ground that matters to them is where they stand - with no impetus to move an inch.
 

Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,243
9,277
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
Are you saying Huckabee is the root cause of the significant disruption of beach life? What does that mean?

Was he responsible for the Edgewater Court case in 2008 which confirmed private property ownership (yet again - check the Walton Clerk of Court Web Site and read the documents). Was he responsible for every single BCC Beach Ordinance (prior to 2016) which recognized Private Property? The 2016 BCC Ordinance was the FIRST TIME in Walton County History that an ordinance was passed that would have forced occupation of private property against the will of the property owner. The BCC cannot remove State of Florida Property Rights without judicial approval.

How much property has the BCC purchased in the last 10 years? Surely there is more than a couple of lots across from Stinky’s? How many public bathrooms have been added in the last 10 years? How many public parking places have been added in the last 10 years? And now for the BONUS QUESTION, how many more tourists do we have each year compared to 10 years ago.

That is your answer. Nothing to do with Huckabee. Nothing to do with BPO’s private property, which has been private since anyone in Walton County has been alive. It is above overcrowding and the BCC not buying enough property to make more public beaches.

Everyone can still swim, walk, take pictures, or surf the entire 26 miles of Walton county coastline. That has not changed or been disrupted. The only thing that is changed is that there is no more room on public beaches. That is a result of a massive increase of tourists and nothing to do with private property owners or Mike Huckabee.

Nice try Teressa.

Nope. I'm not saying any of this. These are your words. Don't put words in my mouth or anyone else's. We can read, we are an informed community, and we know what is happening here in our own beach town.
 

Stone Cold J

Beach Lover
Jun 6, 2019
150
171
SRB
Nope. I'm not saying any of this.

So are you saying the root cause may not be Mike Huckabee?

Do you think the root cause might be a 10-fold increase in tourists in the last decade, now at the 4 million number? What happens as that number grows larger and tourists are bussed in and not even paying bed tax in Walton County?

There has not been anyone “kicked off the beach” for swimming, fishing, walking the entire coastline, building sandcastles, or taking family pictures.

The issue has been people putting chairs and umbrellas on private property against the will of the property owner because of overcrowding on Public Beaches due to the exponential increase of tourists. As a result of the tourist increase, the BCC (as of 2016) wants to take absolute and full control of all property from the dune line to the water line, independent of who has a legal deed. Before 2016, if someone was on private property without permission of the property owner (possibly by mistake) and were asked to leave, they left. That has been the Ancient Customary Use in Walton County. There has NEVER been forced occupation of unlimited people and unlimited equipment on Private Property against the will of the Property owner, and in the OPINION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA there WILL NOT BE WITHOUT JUDICIAL APPROVAL.

So help me out. The county web site lists 9 Regional or County Public Beaches with parking and restroom, 8 of which are on 30A. When was each of them opened?

1. Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
2. Dune Allen Regional Beach Access – (open 2019)
3. Fort Panic Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
4. Ed Walline Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
5. Gulfview Heights Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
6. Blue Mountain Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
7. Van Ness Butler Jr. Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
8. Santa Clara Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
9. Inlet Beach Regional Access – (when did this open?)
 
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