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DuneLaker

Beach Fanatic
Mar 1, 2008
2,644
521
Eastern Lake Est., SoWal, FL
Deer Lake needs to stay open. How can cost be reduced? How much money will the school district lose if this happens? Doesn't each state park give around 15% of collected fees to county each state park is located?
 
Sounds an awful lot like a publicity stunt. The house I just sold was 1 foot from the park and overlooking the beach walkover. They just paved an area for handicap access 2 weeks ago.

It's Prominence's beach access. There is more to this story than meets the eye. Don't get suckered into using a bunch of energy opposing this.
 

DuneLaker

Beach Fanatic
Mar 1, 2008
2,644
521
Eastern Lake Est., SoWal, FL
I wonder what "closed" means. Obviously, you'd still be able to walk there and plop your towel down for a day at the beach. Maybe walkover closed? Parking off 30A? Could you still hike or bike in?
 

DuneLaker

Beach Fanatic
Mar 1, 2008
2,644
521
Eastern Lake Est., SoWal, FL
There is a county park just a little to the west that provides fairly close public access to the beach area of Deer Lake. People need to remember it is a State Park and nesting area so No Pets Are Allowed.
 

GoodWitch58

Beach Fanatic
Oct 10, 2005
4,816
1,921
Sounds an awful lot like a publicity stunt. The house I just sold was 1 foot from the park and overlooking the beach walkover. They just paved an area for handicap access 2 weeks ago.

It's Prominence's beach access. There is more to this story than meets the eye. Don't get suckered into using a bunch of energy opposing this.

Can you clarify what you mean?

It is my understanding that this park is on a statewide list of parks/rec. areas that are being closed due to budget cuts...
not sure how much money the state will save if the caretaker is going to continue; there is not much to do at Deer Lake...since it is a minimal facility park.
It is one of the few places the public can see dunes sorta like they used to be...
 

Miss Critter

Beach Fanatic
Mar 8, 2008
3,416
2,116
My perfect beach
If the park closes, what does that mean for ownership of the land? Would it still be protected somehow against development? Could it be added to state forest land, or something similar?
 

Bob Wells

Beach Fanatic
Jul 25, 2008
3,380
2,857
Well the State already owns it, maybe instead of the County buying more property ( Natural Bridge) and taking it off the property rolls, they could hire someone to oversee/ run Deer Lake. Maybe when the Florida House Republicans show up next week, we could get some answers from them. Wait, you would be considered lobbiest and you weren't invited. Lord knows we don't want taxes to maintain what we have, unless its something we care about.
 
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Creeklover

Beach Lover
Dec 6, 2007
116
23
I understand this is a small park? I have only been there once and there was very little there a bathrooma nd boardwalk if i remember. Maybe we could talk to the park service and see if the Grayton Beach park people could send some one down there twice a day to open the park and then close it and move the land under the Point Washington forest rangers to manage the maintance of the area. This would save money on the care taker there and still being paid to live there when the park would be closed. Or maybe the TDC could contract the park fromthe state for the use and maintance of it??
 
We love to ride our bikes to Deer Lake Park, our favorite place on the beach. How much maintenance does it need, considering that the walkover was built in 2002 (if my memory serves me correctly) and the stairway down to the beach was rebuilt after the 2005 hurricanes?

If the group decides to fight its closure, we're in!

My 2nd favorite photo of the beach, taken by hubby at Deer Lake (favorite is one of daughter, hubby, and me):

Sand or snow?
 
Can you clarify what you mean?

It is my understanding that this park is on a statewide list of parks/rec. areas that are being closed due to budget cuts...
not sure how much money the state will save if the caretaker is going to continue; there is not much to do at Deer Lake...since it is a minimal facility park.
It is one of the few places the public can see dunes sorta like they used to be...

That park has one small bathroom which is run by a solar panel on the roof. It has a gravel screenings entry road. There are no services of anykind there. How does it make sense that the State and Walton County both have speant millions of tax dollars buying land for public beach access only to prohibit the public from using it? A small group of volunteers, maybe Watersound Beach HOA Security or another Developer could open and close the gate. A private Port-a-let company would love to have the oportunity to have a service agreement on that bathroom for $75.00 per month.

I can't find any logic in the announcement. What's more logical is that the Governor wants to create a reaction and induce some grassroots efforts or maybe a big developer pulled some strings to get another developers only beach access closed. How much less do you think the value of Tommy Henry's Prominence Development is worth wholesale with no beach access? What other developer, aside from JOE, would have any interest at all in Prominence with the only hope of beach access closed?

In the words of Santiago "Who cares if AAbsolute thinks it's shady, it's called business"
 
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