Beach Property Rights - public/private

[scooterbug44]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

I grew up on a large lake w/ quite similar private vs. public issues, but because it was clearly stated and understood, there weren't the same conflicts. It was understood that the lakes were a wonderful natural resource for all to share and enjoy and were a large part of the area's appeal.

Lakefront homeowners paid $$$ to live on the lake, but the lake and its shoreline were legally & explicitly stated free for everyone to use. A number of public parks, some with piers, swimming areas w/ lifeguards, or boat launches gave everyone equal access to the lake. The lake obviously got more crowded during the summer and on the weekends and has become more crowded over the years as large condos have replaced the original cottages, but that is a fact of life and development.

You were only considered to be trespassing if you actually went into someone's yard (the shoreline area was NOT "your yard") or were on their privately installed & maintained pier (due to liability issues). As long as you were not doing anything illegal you could be within inches of someone's pier or yard.

The lake itself was patrolled by the Sheriff's department, while the different police & emergency departments dealt with any problems on shore. Both lakefront & non-lakefront tax dollars were used to maintain the parks & accesses and pay for maintenance services like weed cutting.

Obviously, due to human nature/lack of courtesy you would get noisy cigarette boats & jet skis, loud radios, drunken boaters, trash thrown in the lake, people parking your mailbox in when they went to the nearby park, etc. and I have accidentally flashed quite a few fisherman over the years because I forgot to close my curtains, but overall the system worked very well.

 

[Santiago]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

It truly is a sad state of affairs when the "majority" feel entitled to be able to deprive private property owners from their property for ANY justification (other than true imminent domain situations). The beach is not a road or a school ground or a powerline path or a sewage treatment plant location.

The problem is not the occasional trespassing skirmish hyperbolized by the local news. The real problems are the "promises" of "beach access" made by developers of huge projects when there is none.

Who REALLY stands to lose out here? Follow the money, as they say, and you'll have your answer.

It's NOT the vacationing family who is building a sand castle along with memories. It is the ($100,000,000+) Redfish Village developments. It is the County and commisioners who "think" they will benefit from the increased tax base at the expense of overcrowding on the beach. These people are the ones fighting for de-privatization of private property. They have solicited your help without your really knowing the true sides of the issue.

If Walton County is allowed to continue to approve non-appropriate developments, we're only a step away from becoming a Destin or Panama City. "I love your area because it is not crowded like Destin and Panama City" is something I've heard over and over. I and many others feel the same.

With undeveloped beachfront property practically extinct, how else will developers command the prices they seek in our area? The developer's solution?...simply build off the beach where the land is cheaper and "truck-em" in. Ooops, they can't do that just anywhere since there are stretches of private beach (unless they get the county and state to throw away private property rights).

60 years or so ago, you would be hard pressed to find a soul on the beach in our area. Yet private property lines extended to the water even back then. The true beach pioneers were the ones who came when everyone else thought this area was a wasteland. They PURCHASED beachfront property, built their block homes and enjoyed the area for what it WAS: quiet and private. Others of us who felt the same purchased the property from them...and so on.

Today everybody wants to be on the beach. We have grocery stores, air conditioning, running water, sewage, roads and more than enough restaurants.

And of course we have a beautiful beach which is why people bought private property in this "wasteland" long ago in the first place. Now EVERYBODY wants to be in this area...most of all, the developers. Somehow, many people have translated this into a personal entitlement.


As a kid, I remember playing at the creek in our neighborhood. I was never run off the many years that I did play there. Yet I can not imagine ever going to the owner of the adjacent private property today and saying the public is entitled to their private property simply because I and many other kids before me and after me played at that creek and we were never run off.

Not much of a real difference here except for the following: money.

Counter-intuitively speaking, the de-privatization of the beach will benefit the developers more than the "public". The charm and serenity of our area will be greatly compromised (even more so) if this is allowed to happen.

It's nice to see you still have a hard on for Redfish Village. Get a life.

 

[rancid]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Interesting discussion to a complicated issue. While I usually side with the proletariat , BMBV makes some good points about developers over building and funneling hordes of people onto the beach from distant developments.
30 A is an exclusive area ,as much as some might try to downplay it, which does not want to be PC or Destin. If it is to stay that way , someone will need to assert some leadership on over development-- I think that is all BMBV is getting at. Then again , from the tone of some of the posts, there appears to be some history here that I may be unaware of.

 

[seacrestkristi]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Aren't the folks from distant developments going to go to the beach anyhow? What do you mean, the developers will funnell them? That's if they're claiming to be private, isn't it? If it's all public they/we can go where ever we feel the desire that day, no?

Not that it won't probably be the same one we always go to unless someone claims it private that is.

 

[seacrestkristi]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Are they golden funnels?

 

[rancid]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Aren't the folks from distant developments going to go to the beach anyhow? What do you mean, the developers will funnell them? That's if they're claiming to be private, isn't it? If it's all public they/we can go where ever we feel the desire that day, no?

Not that it won't probably be the same one we always go to unless someone claims it private that is.

True that people would be able to go to any part of the beach because it is all public. If no one tries to limit the number of developments in the area then it will end up like PC and Destin. If you are fine with that then you are correct to not want to limit any usage of the beach.
I am not for beach privatization but I do see where BMBV is coming from in an attempt to limit over development.

 

[seacrestkristi]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Maybe we should start a special thread just for overdevelopment then. It is certainly a worthy topic! This is about people getting kicked off the beach and private signs on the beach, etc., I believe.Actually look at the title. I won't even repeat it, it's so ridunkulous! :roll:

 

[John R]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Maybe we should start a special thread just for overdevelopment then. It is certainly a worthy topic! This is about people getting kicked off the beach and private signs on the beach, etc., I believe.Actually look at the title. I won't even repeat it, it's so ridunkulous! :roll:

there have been plenty of those. it might be more fun to resurrect an old one than start a new one.

 

[rancid]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

Maybe we should start a special thread just for overdevelopment then. It is certainly a worthy topic! This is about people getting kicked off the beach and private signs on the beach, etc., I believe.Actually look at the title. I won't even repeat it, it's so ridunkulous! :roll:

Here is the part of the initial thread I was referring to---

It truly is a sad state of affairs when the "majority" feel entitled to be able to deprive private property owners from their property for ANY justification (other than true imminent domain situations). The beach is not a road or a school ground or a powerline path or a sewage treatment plant location.

The problem is not the occasional trespassing skirmish hyperbolized by the local news. The real problems are the "promises" of "beach access" made by developers of huge projects when there is none

My mistake but I thought over development and beach access were being linked somehow.

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

Re: Private Property Owner's Rights Being Attacked

True that people would be able to go to any part of the beach because it is all public. If no one tries to limit the number of developments in the area then it will end up like PC and Destin. If you are fine with that then you are correct to not want to limit any usage of the beach.
I am not for beach privatization but I do see where BMBV is coming from in an attempt to limit over development.

Thanks for the "reasonable" post.

I have used the word "villafy" a lot on other threads. It also applies here. It is easier for the majority of posters on this thread to point a finger at and attack "me/us" than it is to really try understand what is really happening.

Heard through the grapevine ;-) that Seaside and Rosemary Beach will be at the BCC meeting tomorrow. I wonder what position they'll take?

If anyone reading this wants to go to the beach, there is plenty of public beach for that purpose. It just might not be 1 block away...heck of a reason to want to throw sacred private property rights right out the window because a private beach is closer than a public beach.

I've said it over and over, I have never run anyone off our beach....yet.