Customary Use and Our 30A Legacy

[Auburn Fan]

No fantasy boogey man here.
BPOs have already been forced to spend thousands of dollars on legal expenses. Each defendant. And the cases havn't even officially started. And there's over 700 defendants. Don't try to dismiss our concern as fantasy fears. It's reality.

And corruption is indeed wicked. Our county has seen more than its share of corruption, already.

Corruption and absentee ownership go hand-in-hand. So of course the power brokers prefer to attract the short term rental investors, owners who dont reside here, who are happy to send unlimited numbers of tourists to the beach, while they make ever-growing profits. The fewer the full-time residents, the easier to get away with corruption in government, and the more control in the hands of a powerful few. And adding another layer of "City" government will not eliminate the abundant opportunities for corruption, if most of the owners are absent.

Fact:
During the last 2 years, Walton County has added 735 NEW short-term-rentals PER YEAR. With no end in sight.

"According to Visit South Walton, a tourism agency representing the area that encompasses 30A, the region has 13,735 active rentals this summer, up 12 percent from the same time two years ago."
~New York Times August 5, 2019

AF, this is not about over-development. That train has already left the station so that issue is irrelevant to the lawsuit. Robbing and land grabbing can be argued on both sides based only on my opinion so I consider that argument irrelevant to the lawsuit.

No one has a right to call anyone wicked. Who did that?

Greedy? Well that is a human trait.

There are slippery slopes within our precious capitalism. I want capitalism to succeed forever but it won't unless we become more critical of the flaws. This statement plays on our emotion and/or comes from emotion. Either the fear is within you or you are promoting fear. I do not fear socialism. I do not prefer or desire socialism. Am I a socialist? If you answer yes the fear is within you.

South Walton is over developed in relation to the infrastructure. I think BCC is aware. I agree with you they need to be more than aware. But again this is irrelevant to the lawsuit unless the Judge allows it relative.

Trust me a lot of people are unhappy. I wish we could come up with a simple compromise on the exclusion part to those property rights and address all issues on the beach. I just shake my head that we are not able to do this. Good leaders and not those that throw around fear of the boogey man if you don't agree on something, need to step up to the plate. NOW

 

[mputnal]

AF, I am not dismissing your fear. All I am saying about fear is that is it an emotion that can get carried away. Of course we all despise corruption but if you go down that path we have to include all billionaires in that wicked category. I prefer to say the system is broken and we need to fix it rather than calling anyone wicked or evil. I do not think the 1% is wicked. I do think they abused the system at the expense of the 99%. Resources are finite meaning that there is one big pie that everyone eats from. Right now 99% of the population eat from one-half (or less) of the pie and the 1% eat from the other half. Is that not corrupt? If not why?

 

[EZ4144]

No fantasy boogey man here.
BPOs have already been forced to spend thousands of dollars on legal expenses. Each defendant. And the cases havn't even officially started. And there's over 700 defendants. Don't try to dismiss our concern as fantasy fears. It's reality.

And corruption is indeed wicked. Our county has seen more than its share of corruption, already.

Corruption and absentee ownership go hand-in-hand. So of course the power brokers prefer to attract the short term rental investors, owners who dont reside here, who are happy to send unlimited numbers of tourists to the beach, while they make ever-growing profits. The fewer the full-time residents, the easier to get away with corruption in government, and the more control in the hands of a powerful few. And adding another layer of "City" government will not eliminate the abundant opportunities for corruption, if most of the owners are absent.

Fact:
During the last 2 years, Walton County has added 735 NEW short-term-rentals PER YEAR. With no end in sight.

"According to Visit South Walton, a tourism agency representing the area that encompasses 30A, the region has 13,735 active rentals this summer, up 12 percent from the same time two years ago."
~New York Times August 5, 2019

Is it the socialists, the capitalists or the corrupt that is coming after our life, liberty and private beaches? OMG everybody! Retreat to our bama woods and load our guns!!!

 

[Auburn Fan]

Resorting to ridicule is a display of an inability to address the hard facts that were presented.

And yes, power brokers are fueling socialistic emotions.

It wouldn't be so funny to you if you were the one losing your money and property.

Is it the socialists, the capitalists or the corrupt that is coming after our life, liberty and private beaches? OMG everybody! Retreat to our bama woods and load our guns!!!

 

[Auburn Fan]

Mputnal, you seem to have a deep desire for fairness. I can respect that. I have 2 questions for you.

1. Is it fair to legally sell something valuable to thousands of citizens, only to take it away from them without compensation? (And as Walton County attempted also, without due process?)

2. Is it fair to punish thousands of property owners, robbing them of their rights, because of the ugly behavior of a less than a handful?

(Also, if you and your family were subject to social media video ambush by unethical activists and attorneys, on your very own property, you might have a better understanding of BPO concerns and not try to dismiss them as "getting carried away with emotion".)

AF, I am not dismissing your fear. All I am saying about fear is that is it an emotion that can get carried away. Of course we all despise corruption but if you go down that path we have to include all billionaires in that wicked category. I prefer to say the system is broken and we need to fix it rather than calling anyone wicked or evil. I do not think the 1% is wicked. I do think they abused the system at the expense of the 99%. Resources are finite meaning that there is one big pie that everyone eats from. Right now 99% of the population eat from one-half (or less) of the pie and the 1% eat from the other half. Is that not corrupt? If not why?

 

[mputnal]

1. I don't have enough information as for as the seller, the buyer, the title, the deed, the neighborhood covenant, the survey (including riparian) the purchase agreement, county ordinance, etc. to determine fairness. In my opinion if you are able to purchase beach property and build an exclusive building then I believe it is fair to ask you to share the beach. I understand why you would disagree with this. I believe a compromise is best for everyone. Without a compromise the State or County may have to pursue eminent domain and compensate you. I would not want to be a Judge and Jury tasked with deciding compensation.

2. I don't understand the question specifically about punishing and robbing. Did the county punish or rob you when they gave you the permit to build a house on the sand dunes that blocks the view of everyone except you? You see it is a matter of perspective. If you are a person that would like to see the resource but your building blocks the view of that resource then where is the fairness in that? I don't blame you for building on the sand dunes because The People gave you permission to do this legally...but why can't The People ask you to share the beach?

I do not agree with some of the tactics of CU or liberal activism. I have in fact been the recipient of attacks from liberal activists on this website. I do believe that only a few of them are responsible for the name calling and grand standing. I think they do it for attention or they are just mean spirited. If they are disrespectful to you in anyway then they should not be allowed on the beach behind your building.

 

[mputnal]

AF I can't help thinking about your statement about the "power brokers fueling socialistic emotions". Yes there are power brokers involved in this process now. We all need to have our eyes wide open. Power comes from wealth. Politics and wealth are joined at the hip. Politics is two political parties that have succeeded in splitting The People right down the middle. When I first began reading and posting on this thread I also thought that the power brokers where coming from the share the beach (CU) side because it seemed that the BPO side was just blaming the Walton County commissioners for "taking" their property. The more I read and the more I interacted I realized that the "facts" being presented by the BPO side had nothing to do with community and everything to do with power. Each time I suggested compromise they would recite facts about the Constitution but I began to notice the introduction of political agenda. Politics uses fear to keep us divided. The fear of the government taking something from us is a practiced and intelligent methodology to prey on our fears. I understand the fear but socialism is already a part of our society in things like social security and medicare. Taxes are also a form of socialism. We do have the Constitution to guide us along the way but there are other factors that should be used to guide us as well. This group promoting property rights over those other factors is an attempt to divide us and not even listen to a compromise. There is no good reason why we should not compromise these problems in sharing this resource. I trust neither side of politics 100 percent of the time. I believe that society should exist in moderation between selfish and selfless. I am not demonizing selfish because it is a human trait coming from the instinct of survival. Selfless is difficult for humans. All I am saying is that we need to be aware of the power of giving, caring and sharing with others. People misbehaving has always been a problem in society and we must have rules of behavior. When it comes to a resource like our beautiful beach I hope that this community will figure out a way to compromise so that everyone is happy and not just one side wins and one side loses. Yes, maybe it is a fantasy but why not believe in something more powerful than myself?

 

[EZ4144]

Beachfront owners are painting themselves as Mr. Burns. All the posts and threats are backfiring. The actions of a few protesters have revealed your true nature. Duped in to reacting and we see clearly who you are now.

Almost every beachfront owner post on here mentions "facts". The only fact I know is that post after post trying to make a case or gain sympathy is ridiculous and futile, and makes beach front owners look cruel and greedy. The fact is that ridicule and shame of beach front owners is growing in our community and by our visitors.

The fact that beach front owners are involved in a legal process but continue to spout propaganda is proof that either they know they are losing and venting frustration. Or waiting on the process to play out and vanely can't keep their vindictive mouth shut.

 

[Reggie Gaskins]

MP, I've been trying hard to understand your refusal to answer direct questions, and your constant blurring of reality vs utopian existence. You proclaim your opinions of how you'd use and manage other people's property as if you had any say in it whatsoever. You dont, that's not how our country's laws work. As I read more, and you repeat blurry reality more, there is a very familiar ring to your beliefs:
===========
Power Broker Conspiracy
Wealth = Evil/Greedy
1% vs 99%
Power of the majority rules
Business Elite = Political Elite
Ignoring Constitutional law, in favor of social desires
Redistribution of wealth to meet social demand
Defiant masses ignoring property rights
Demanded Equality of natural and financial resources
============
I recognized the platform as a known movement with an identity/brand. I couldn't place it. So I strung a group of your platform pillars together, and boom! Google always wins. I was embarrassed at how obvious the answer. I knew it well, and am sure you do too. I hope you'll have an open mind enough to see the preaching here as a manifesto of your collective platform. Now that we've clearly identified your official position, we may get somewhere.

Occupy Wall Street - Wikipedia

*** Disclaimer: I've never referred to Wikipedia as a reliable source for obvious reasons. However, IMO, after reading dozens of pieces, this one is most complete in its coverage of the movement.

 

[beachmax]

We are all falling for a real estate developers head fake. The commercial interests along 30-A are dividing 30-A lovers as they get the Walton BCC to do their bidding. The county continues to pursue additional north-south connectors form 98 to CR30-A in the state forest so more tourists can clog our already overloaded infrastructure. More tourist $$$ for the commercial interests. Customary Use is necessary for the new 170,000 single family dwelling St. Joe development, Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, on the north side of West Bay is to be a financial success. Their marketing materials emphasize the proximity to amenities along 30-A. They seem to have little respect or concern for the impact on their earlier beach front communities and inland locals alike. Surprise.
Keep 30-A funky. There is a BCC meeting on August 21 on this subject. Let's all unite and go to the meeting and help stop the abuse of and the profiteering from our precious and declining natural resources.