Allow private seawall on a public beach?

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

....These so called beach front owners actually do not even own the bluff face on which they placed their seawalls.

They built an enormous seawall that extends far out onto the beach.

Ecopal,

Your love for adjectives humbles me. Problem is they're difficult to gauge how much "much" is (other thread), how enormous "enourmous" is and now how far "far" is (as in "extends far out onto the beach"). But you're entitled to your opinions, of course.

beacheart responded that the wall is just 16 feet out from his home. I am assuming we're talking about the same group of homes. If I'm incorrect in my assumption, either you or beacheart please correct me.

Do you consider the fact that his wall being just 16 feet from his structure qualifies as extending "far out onto the beach"? The rest of it appears to be beautiful white sand dunes which I'm sure even the turtles would appreciate !

 

[John R]

We built a Northstar wall - only 16 feet from the front of the house and filled in with white sand. Also am doing dune restoration. It is too bad some of the contractors were so irresponsible but ours was very responsible and followed the rules.

beachart, thanks for the reply. glad you found an upstanding contractor. good luck with your restoration, and thanks for using white sand.

jr

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

Here's one that might help your therapist bills and make some others feel a little better. It has to do with what BMBV and John R have been discussing as the major source of coastal erosion in Florida.

If you read the state's entire report on the erosion, it is broken down into 7 sub-regions within the state. The three major sources in the report are tropical storms, hurricanes and dredged inlets. The dredged inlets inhibit natural beach renourishment since they prevent the sand from naturally moving past the inlet and settling on the downstream beaches - it settles out in the inlets instead. Without the inlets there would be more of a balance in the natural erosion/nourishment cycle in non-tropical storm/hurricane conditions. What this means is that the beach shouldn't disappear in front of a seawall (or retaining wall) placed in an area that is not affected by inlets during normal conditions. Repeat....normal conditions.

Here's the part to make some of us feel a little better: the 30-A (or thereabouts) section of Walton County is not affected by dredged inlets according to the state's report. We still have the tropical storms and hurricanes to deal with (which would erode the dunes further back anyway), but at least there's some good news here. :clap_1:

Go To Page 6 - Pleistocene Mainland

pgurney:

Most excellent find and post. I am a more enlightened person now.

Regarding St. Andrews Beach and significant causes of erosion....
"Erosion is attributed to tropical storms, hurricanes and the effects of St. Andrews Inlet."

Regarding Walton County beaches and significant causes of erosion....
"Erosion is attributed to tropical storms and hurricanes."

Now we have an idea as to how far the beaches "downstream" are indeed affected by inlets.

This is exactly what your synopsis is.

Oh yea...Pleistocene Mainland. That's what I should have been calling our sticky yellow sand bluffs all along! Geology can be interesting.

Thank you again.
BMBV

 

[walljumper]

View attachment 6829

View attachment 6830

View attachment 6831

View attachment 6832Walls on the beach, The owners think there great. I think they are ugly and I have never seen such greed from both the owners on the beach and the county commissioners. If anyone really beleives these walls will protect these home you must be out of your minds. The next big storm will wash these away. If peers, oil platfoarms can be destroyed these walls are useless. And as far as being on the countys and public beach these should be removed at once and would be if there was not something in it for the commissioners. These commissioner all they know how to do is count money and spend ours. The storms put casinos on top of hotels. Leveled whole areas. Armored walls just thinking silly.

 

[scooterbug44]

While I feel sorry for those whose homes are threatened by erosion and storms, that doesn't mean they get to extend their property onto the beach and then say "oops" or ask for millions of dollars to be spent to unnaturally protect their property. With apologies to "field of dreams", if you build it, it's your fault!

News flash - water erodes soil! This is true everywhere - even when there isn't a tropical storm or hurricane involved! That's why you leave a buffer zone.

I'm really getting sick of the constant conflicts of interest when the commissioners are voting on the actions of one of their own! :angry: