Beach Property Rights - public/private

[Jdarg]

Not really. The attorney for a few folks on the east end of SOWAL wanted the WCC to revoke a ruling about "customary use" but the WCC hasnt GOT an ordinance about that so they basically told him to sit down.

That was pretty funny.

Actually it was even funnier that lots of people including a TV reporter showed up after the fact and were baffled that nothing had happened.

 

[seacrestkristi]

 

[BMBWalker]

I would think that a group of gulf front property owners could afford an attorney that at least dressed that part. He did look kinda "ambulance-chaser-ish", didnt he?

No, he looked like Matlock!

 

[NotDeadYet]

No discussion of the beach issue - just letting it go. Our County Attorney basically said he hasn't done anything about further researching the Council's options per the last meeting. I got the feeling he isn't really planning to any time soon.

The lawyer for the beachfront property owners said he is going to draft an ordinance for the councils consideration next time. I will be at that meeting too.

Well now this is interesting. :scratch: The county drags its feet and this attorney is going to get busy and draft an ordinance. Wonder what the vacuum of inertia might suck in? Government by default?

 

[BeachBliss]

InLetBchDweller you have asked some great questions.
Along time ago before any of us were at the beach, before walkovers, before the Red Bar, before Seaside-Walton County sold beach front property to individuals. The deeds state that ownership includes "to the mean high water line (MHWL) of the Gulf of Mexico." Yes, Walton County sold the beach to individuals. They built houses, condos, townhomes, etc. on their property. They have since sold them to others, as real estate goes.

The beachfront owners now, 40-50 years later are faced with the threat of the County taking our property away from us and making the beaches public. No, we have not had any mishaps or trespassing on our property as of yet, but when someone wants to take your property away from you-natural instincts kick in that make a person want to defend their property and rights.

There have been a lot of assumptions made on this thread that are wrong and need clarification:

I am not a whiney property owner that never comes to the beach and expects the County and taxpayers to take care of my property after a hurricane. We were and are responsible for the restoration of our beach. We did not ask, expect or receive any money from Walton County to restore the beach. Remember, they said we could own the property-we have to take care of it, which we did. also, my family and I try to get down once a month, we spend all of our holidays there and quite a bit of the summer.

Yes, the County picks up the trash bags on our beach property and they do a wonderful job! But the the trash has to get into those bags by someone else. That would be the owners of the property and the individuals who have rented from the owners. Again, we are responsible for the beach because we own to the MHWL to the Gulf of Mexico.

The trash pick-up is not for free-beach front owners pay very high taxes-we understand that, it is part of owning beach front property. Trash pick-up is the only service beach front owners receive different from non-beach front owners.

We are just trying to defend our rights and some people think we are wrong for doing so.

 

[jodiFL]

The deeds state that ownership includes "to the mean high water line (MHWL) of the Gulf of Mexico."

The MHWL is not the edge of the water!
Check this page out ..http://www.floridageomatics.com/publications/legal/mhwl.htm

 

[Jdarg]

"The trash pick-up is not for free-beach front owners pay very high taxes-we understand that, it is part of owning beach front property. Trash pick-up is the only service beach front owners receive different from non-beach front owners."

Beachbliss- please explain. Do you pay higher taxes as a Gulf front Walton county property owner than I do as a 1 block off the bay property owner?

 

[Uncle Timmy]

The beachfront owners now, 40-50 years later are faced with the threat of the County taking our property away from us and making the beaches public. No, we have not had any mishaps or trespassing on our property as of yet, but when someone wants to take your property away from you-natural instincts kick in that make a person want to defend their property and rights.

There have been a lot of assumptions made on this thread that are wrong and need clarification:

We are just trying to defend our rights and some people think we are wrong for doing so.

Could we PLEASE maintain some grasp of reality when discussing this issue.

NO ONE is taking your property. NO ONE has drafted any resolution to redraw your property boundary. NO ONE is stealing a square foot of your land.

This is a move to reinforce the historical and legal access of the public to Florida?s beaches. Period.

You own a piece of the beach, therefore you must allow a degree of access to that beach.

 

[Bear]

my family and I try to get down once a month, we spend all of our holidays there and quite a bit of the summer.

This makes me sick, They want to kick the locals off the beach so when they visit there extra house theres no crowd on the beach. Are you kidding me.

 

[jodiFL]

This is a move to reinforce the historical and legal access of the public to Florida’s beaches. Period.

In 1974 the Florida Legislature determined that: " … the mean high water line as the boundary between state sovereignty lands and uplands subject to private ownership as well as the necessity for uniform standards and procedures with respect to the establishment of local tidal datums and the determination of the mean high water…"

As BB can read in this ..it is not Walton County or the "public" doing anything. This land is state sovereign.Meaning the state of Florida has owned this land since it BECAME A STATE.
We are just making sure that people from out of town that just happen to own property here keep Florida lands the property of Florida.