Led away in Handcuffs

[GRAHAM GINSBERG]

The TDC collect the bed taxes and suggests to the commissioners its uses.

The commissioners approve of TDC funds both in the county & city

Ask the budget dept in the county for a budget report for the TDC over the past years (public records request) & post here

Look online for the FL Stat indicating the uses of TDC funds

Complain if there haven't been used for tourist related projects

Typical uses: Parking lots & renouriehment of public beaches where access isn't a problem (enough parking for a stretch of beach)

PS. I noted several businesses in that are advertising hundreds of feet of 'private beaches'. Check the DBPR's responce to that.

Gov Christ is not likely to look favourably on the privitization of Florida's beaches. His office has been notified of the issues in your area. At days end all local governments need to work in harmony with the rest of the state or suffer in the long run. Don't expect DEP to be forth coming to help either.

 

[GoodWitch58]

BMBV,
I was asked if I was concerned how this "private beach" access would effect my RE Business. My comment was I would not have a RE business if the beaches were private. I also do not think you should give the land away. You do not own it! You can not give something away you do not own. ;-) See quote at bottom of the page.

IMO the fastest way to devalue property around here is to continue this private beach insanity.

The one thing this area has going for it is the beautiful beach--if people are being chased off and arrested for enjoying the main attraction, then tourism will decline, and when that happens, no one will want to be here, and when that is the case, the value of the "private" property will plummet.

It is the desire of people to be here to enjoy the beach that sets the property values...

 

[ozbeachmom]

IMO the fastest way to devalue property around here is to continue this private beach insanity.

The one thing this area has going for it is the beautiful beach--if people are being chased off and arrested for enjoying the main attraction, then tourism will decline, and when that happens, no one will want to be here, and when that is the case, the value of the "private" property will plummet.

It is the desire of people to be here to enjoy the beach that sets the property values...

I couldn't have said it better!

 

[Andy A]

Andy, just click the Quote button from within the post that you want to "reply" to.

I really do understand your opinion and you have a full right to it. I'm not trying to poke holes it but rather illuminate the differences with your particular gulf front property location vs. others. Things certainly are not "equal" in this regard.

You're correct I don't live or stare at the beach all day long, neither do the people at the Retreat, neither do the people at the Inn at BMB, etc. But this should not enter in to the discussion here, in my opinion. I know you will disagree and that's OK. Regardless of my opinion on this and your opinion on this, the majority of gulf front owners will fight for their property rights. Trying to find solutions is what we should be debating.

Since you mentioned Redfish Village, if you feel like one should allow others to use their private property when its not being used, why didn't Redfish Village simply open up their private access to the public? They deeded a public easement ON the beach but there is no legal way to get to it without walking on wet sand.

What's even worse, is the county could "potentially" repeat the Redfish Village on the lot next door to RFV. How about potentially another 500 or more people poured into the same area? There really is no limit as long as they are "bussed" in so it seems.

I and my neighbors obviously have serious motivations to protect our properties regarding public access. The county won't.

BMBVl, thank you for the computer lesson. I need all the help I can get. I really believe everyone is deedling and promoting easements they aren't intitled to in the first place. But then, I'm no lawyer (thank God) and they are the ones who will finally determine the outcome of this situation along with the judges.(Many of which have no common sense.) I appreciate your position. I just think its greedy, uncaring and not in the interest of humanity in general.

 

[yippie]

BMBVl, thank you for the computer lesson. I need all the help I can get. I really believe everyone is deedling and promoting easements they aren't intitled to in the first place. But then, I'm no lawyer (thank God) and they are the ones who will finally determine the outcome of this situation along with the judges.(Many of which have no common sense.) I appreciate your position. I just think its greedy, uncaring and not in the interest of humanity in general.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Whomever previously remarked on the security not being familiar with the English language was spot on, and it isn't due to the security being foreigners. Today, I went to the access to observe. Before I walked far enough to see the Gulf, a security lady stopped me and began asking questions about where I was staying, where I was going, what I was carrying, etc, before proceeding to confuse the heck out of me with her directives on where I could sit on the beach. She sounded really confused herself. I just played along. She began by telling me that if I was going to sit on a towel (I had no chair in hand), that I had to be in the wet sand. I asked her what was the point of bringing a towel to the beach if it was going to be wet.

She said, "well, not the wet stuff. Let me show you."

We walked up to the top of the walkover where she pointed to toward the Gulf's edge, and said, "you see that part right there?" pointing to an area which is a good 200 ft away, "you can sit their, but The Retreat owns all of this."

I asked, "how could someone own the beach?"

The security guard replied, "talk to the Sheriff."

I said, "so you are telling me that I have to sit on the wet sand if I want to be on the beach. That doesn't make sense."

The lady replied, "You see that wet part? The County owns it."

I said, "So you mean I can sit on the dry sand?"

Security said, "no, you see where the wet sand is? You can sit where it isn't wet, but the water comes up to it."

I responded, "so if the water comes up to it, you are saying it isn't wet, and that it is dry?

She seemed more confused with her own information at this time. She again pointed to the area 200 ft from us, and said, "you see that area down there, you can sit on it."

I said, "that is very confusing."

Again she told me, as she shook her head at the craziness of the entire idea, and said, "talk to the Sheriff."

She went on her way, not to be seen again.

I will point out that I saw a few people set up on dry sand in front of The Retreat. They were not asked to leave or move during the hour I was there. I saw most of them walk down from the access at the Inn @BMB. There were other people set up on the line where the highest splash of water meets the dryer sand, and I saw a couple of other people sitting in the wet sand, getting splashed by the waves.

I did notice that several people came out from the gated entrance at the Inn @ BMB and walked down to The Retreat property to set up camp. The beach in front of The Retreat, was otherwise deserted, except for two or three people who appeared to be in some Retreat chairs, way down the beach. In front of the Inn @ BMB, the entire beach front was shoulder to shoulder umbrellas and chairs. It seemed to me that maybe the private property crap could have started as a fight between the Inn @ BMB and The Retreat.



On another note, are permits required from the DEP to post signs on the beach? Who can I contact at the DEP to see if permits where pulled for the signs posted in front of Inn @BMB and White Cliffs? (The Retreat's signs appear to be on the dune line, not the sandy lower elevation of the beach.)

 

[scooterbug44]

So in addition to the muddy legal issues & enforcement questions the "security" can't effectively communicate w/ violators?

I'd love to see the "private beach" or "no trespassing" signs get tagged per the new TDC campaign!

 

[Smiling JOe]

I forgot to mention that while there, I also saw a small shark (maybe 3-4ft long) come swimming in, but no one seemed to notice. This was right after I started noticing big schools of tiny bait fish hugging the water's edge.

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

BMBV,
I was asked if I was concerned how this "private beach" access would effect my RE Business. My comment was I would not have a RE business if the beaches were private. I also do not think you should give the land away. You do not own it! You can not give something away you do not own. ;-) See quote at bottom of the page.

Sorry Bobby. It certainly appears I'm wasting your time and you're wasting my time. You never seem to address any my questions to any level of satisfaction. You yell above what is obviously not the case and then put a winkie after it. Well after 700+ posts in this thread, you and I are just dancing in circles.

Don't worry about your business. Many here who own property without guaranteed dedicated private beach will probably enlist your services since you probably represent their point of view. True their property values may take a hit (as the law is today), but that won't hurt you in the long run.

Perhaps if you had not alienated so many gulf front property owners with your seawall rhetoric and now the private beach issue, you might have a few gulf front listings that would balance your "portfolio".

Will you advertise beach access if you receive a listing for Duchess's home (as an example)? I know this sounds like a question I asked you a LONG time ago about whether you would sell a gulf front property that had a seawall.

How about we agree to disagree (as they say)? I don't want it to get personal as we both love the area for most of the same reasons.

Perhaps everything has been said up to this point. But I still want Duchess and others to keep us posted on "current events".

At least the hurricane gods are giving us a reprieve as all this gets worked out (problem du jour as some have pointed out).

 

[Smiling JOe]

Notice that this sign, posted at the Inn at Blue Mountain Beach doesn't state, No Trespassing, except for ingress and egress "to the Gulf of Mexico," nor does the sign say "to the Mean High Water Mark." It reads, "to the beach," as in, you can walk across our property to get onto the beach. If they didn't allow the public to sit on "their" beach, wouldn't the sign read differently? That leads me to believe that I have permission to be on the beach without committing trespass.