About the permits. We are the only county in the panhandle that allows dogs on the beach at all. Before restriction, that meant that not only did our residents and guests bring their dogs to our beach, so did residents and guests of our neighboring counties as well. Often they were let off leash and allowed to do their business where they pleased. Dog owners are generally good about picking up poop but when they lift a leg on a sandcastle and later you see a little kid putting sand in their mouth...also, many many people believe it is unsanitary and still more generally don't want to be bothered by nosy dogs. The beach dog tags for owners and full-time residents was a compromise; the other option was to do like our neighbors (who coincidentally get no flak about it) and ban them altogether - and the public outcry on that was quite fierce.
I love dogs; I have two - had three until heatstroke and a moccasin bite led us to say goodbye to her. But as someone who, once upon a time, was enjoying a quiet day face-down relaxing on the beach until a strange, large dog wandered over and peed on me...there needs to be control.