Man Arrested For Threatening Walton County Employee With Gun About Tent On Beach!

[kayti elliott]

Why not just start a petition to ban idiots with guns from the beach. South Walton locals are big on petitions and banning stuff.

 

[bob bob]

Why not just start a petition to ban idiots with guns from the beach. South Walton locals are big on petitions and banning stuff.

 

[Leader of the Banned]

All the nay-sayers need to do is spend some time on the beach and actually speak to the people visiting here NOW. While we still have a small, but strong % of respectful visitors, the tide has turned just about back when Katrina hit and TDC started Mass Marketing to everywhere.

What we see now is the effect of marking everywhere and many of our top dollar paying, good tipping, respectful tourists don't come here anymore.

When I walk the beach, I try to engage some of the visitors to learn about their vacation choice and why they came here. You usually find a few categories of visitor; ones that have been coming here for ages and love the area but they too notice the changes in quality of tourist, you have the ones the fled PCB after last Spring Break as it is not "safe" for their family and they are now here, but expecting to pay PCB prices... and then you have the people that just really need go visit somewhere else, glass on the beach, dogs on the beach, huge tents, loud music, leaving trash and plastic, foul language, the list goes on.

If you haven't noticed a change in the visitors that are here now as opposed to back pre-Katrina and Mass Marketing, pull your head out of the sand.

How do you know it's not you that's changed?

 

[John G]

How do you know it's not you that's changed?

Pretty Sure it's not me. I don't bring glass to beach, my dog has a permit and we go during the allowed hours, I don't leave all my trash behind (actually pick up after others) and I respect peoples private property. Nope, I haven't changed, but thanks for asking.

 

[happy2Bme]

Why not just start a petition to ban idiots with guns from the beach. South Walton locals are big on petitions and banning stuff.

Let's just ban the idiots, guns or not!

 

[John G]

"As expected, [some] people have not informed themselves of county code or are just ignorant. If you have some of your items confiscated through the night, it can be upsetting to you," voiced Kellenberger.

South Walton officials enforce 'Leave No Trace'

 

[Dreamer]

And so you threaten with a gun? Don't think so!

 

[John G]

"We were told by all the authorities that they agree it’s an absolutely insane policy, but they’re supposed to enforce."

Nice...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Zero stars for new beach policy

Is there a zero star rating? We drove 12 hours to come and spend money in your community. We’re staying in a beautiful VRBO, and we had a wonderful day on Miramar Beach – until Code Enforcement and a representative from the Sheriff’s Office told us we would have to remove our tent canopies due to a new policy. They can only be 6 x 6 and ours are 9 x 9. We were told by all the authorities that they agree it’s an absolutely insane policy, but they’re supposed to enforce.

We’ve been to beaches all over Florida and the East Coast. We’ve never had any problems using our tent canopies. We were told that the people that donated the land for the public beach have a vested interest in the umbrella rentals. They want people to spend $40 a day for an umbrella that covers two people. We have a party of 18 family members.

Believe me, we will never be back to spend money in your community. And, I’m telling everyone I know to not come to your community. There are plenty of beaches that we could go to!

Bill Headley, Bloomington, Indiana

 

[James Bentwood]

I'd really rather not have people coming here that have to have tents. I'd rather ban all tents becuase a size limit causes confusion and hurt feelings.

 

[Kaydence]

We were told that the people that donated the land for the public beach have a vested interest in the umbrella rentals. They want people to spend $40 a day for an umbrella that covers two people. We have a party of 18 family members.

First, I think tents are ridiculous!

Secondly, prior to the Meyers’ donation of land in 1995, the Florida Department of Transportation donated land to Walton County in 1989; together, this land makes up what is now the Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access. P U B L I C A C C E S S meaning everyone in the public domain has a right to access/use the beach! Your silly a$$ed tents prevent others from accessing/using the beach you think you're entitled to because you drove 12 hours and spent money in Walton County. We have hundreds of thousands of tourists who come here and spend money! If everyone of them brought 9 by 9 tents NO ONE would even be able to access the beach. Your entitlement to come here and enjoy OUR beaches is only yours until it infringes on the rights of others to do likewise! Go some place else. I don't care! We have plenty of other sanctimonious tourists to deal with and the 18 you brought are 18 less the County has to deal with! No problem and a win win for everyone!

As for being told by County authorities that they agree it’s an absolutely insane policy, but they’re supposed to enforce, its their job to enforce policy not to question why they have to enforce it or make ridiculous comments to tourists about how they shouldn't have to do their jobs!

Last but not least we come to the real "meat and potatoes" of this issue. "THE VESTED INTEREST OF VENDORS AND THEIR UMBRELLA RENTALS"!
Here's the skinny on that cushy deal! Walton County has a single county Commissioner that has a son, who is a vendor, who makes money off of public land that cost taxpayers millions of dollars to set up for FREE on 50% OF PUBLIC BEACHES and makes money hand over fist which, resulted in the ridiculous rules you complained about. That same Commissioner has an influential partner in crime with "more money than good sense" who bought her election, who also has friends in the vendor business that also needed protection on land the vendors are squatting on for FREE! So, your beef isn't with the people who live here everyday and can't access public land during the height of tourists season either, your beef is with a county Commissioner and her political cronies.

Feel free to contact her so she can serve you some cheese with that whine!
Commissioner Cecilia Jones
joncecilia@co.walton.fl.us