Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

[Dawn]

Your short answer of "yes" is exactly the reason why you are not able to use common sense. We are all vulnerable to the emotion of fear and your fear that someone or something is trying to take your house away from you is unfounded. There is just no truth in it. False Prophets have manipulated your fear. Your example of why you believe the short answer is yes is also not using common sense. Children are being killed by bullets and bombs and mental illness and your fear of the public taking down your signs with "threatening" behavior is a little hard for me to take you serious. Maybe try removing your signs and see how the public "behave". Just saying...

Honesty is always the best policy. We all make mistakes. We are all hypocrites. We are all just human and we need to reach down in our heart and soul and to become more aware of our flaws. I believe we are all in this miracle of life together. Sharing and caring for other people is our responsibility for life itself. I owe my life to people. You owe your life to people. We have leadership that is telling you that you are special because you own more and have more than others. I am not special. You are not special. We are all "special". Try not to think the worse of people for wanting to enjoy the beach. Take down your signs and feel the freedom of sharing and caring. I am not asking you to do anything that I would not ask of myself. Just asking you to try and feel the positive of inclusion and reject the negative emotion of your earned right to exclusion. I get it. It is hard to accept that people will sometimes behave badly on the beach and it creates a victim mentality when it happens behind your beautiful property on a beautiful resource that you have worked so hard to have. It is very easy to feel victimized and a little more difficult to feel fortunate and grateful so we have to give effort to use our common sense...

Grayt post!

 

[SUP Boarder]

"Do you really believe that customary use threatens your beach front home or that it wants to take something away from you." Short answer to this - YES. We have had to call the sheriff twice in the last year as a result of people ignoring a private beach area sign and threatening my daughters and on another occasion our beach umbrella vendor. Imagine that. And I have politely explained the situation to many that come on our property and they don't want to hear it. Logic falls on deaf ears to the entitlement mentality.

Certainly appreciate your perspective on this issue and taking hits on this forum. I suspect these recent encounters were the result of public hostility toward the current state of beach ownership, trespassing signs, etc.(?) Can you share your experience with the public prior to 2018?

Although I can appreciate and understand the firm positions on private property rights, admittedly I can't yet understand how someone sitting on the beach about 200 feet behind a house can have such an impact on personal rights.

 

[SUP View]

Certainly appreciate your perspective on this issue and taking hits on this forum. I suspect these recent encounters were the result of public hostility toward the current state of beach ownership, trespassing signs, etc.(?) Can you share your experience with the public prior to 2018?

Although I can appreciate and understand the firm positions on private property rights, admittedly I can't yet understand how someone sitting on the beach about 200 feet behind a house can have such an impact on personal rights.

Prior to 2018 it was not a major issue. There were times in the busy seasons that large groups would come on our complex property and cause some issues. Mostly drinking and not respecting small children that were enjoying the beach and water. We would explain the private beach issue to them and "respectfully request" that they find another area the next day. That worked most of the time.

Our complex on a "large beach area" day my have 30 - 35 yards of sand from water to seawall. Other days it is much less.

I would agree that a much larger sand area may not lend itself to many, if any, conflicts with others.

And you are correct that the encounters in the last year were a result of the public hostility and the fact that they are grossly misinformed about the issue. It's one thing to get in my face about this, but to confront young women in a hostile way is bizarre. Low-rent crowd maybe?

The issue of beach access has really been ginned up by the activist and entitlement groups. Even during a busy time in the summer, there is plenty of public beach available in our small area. But NOT on the front row of the beach. That causes issues for those that come to public beach and look 100 yards east and west and see front row availability. They want to be there and that is fully understandable.

We have routinely welcomed families with small kids to enjoy our beach area if there is not a big crowd. And they usually ask about the private beach issue. The majority of those we speak with understand and appreciate the clarity and facts of the issue.

Unfortunately, it is lost on the entitlement groups that private beach owners have the rights to THEIR property. This would include bringing their family and friends to the area as well as providing renters with the same opportunity.

Hopefully things will be normal this summer, but with the same "lead" activists involved and a misinformed public, I remain skeptical.

 

[Jane]

Activist is a positive word. Activists are often leaders and role models.

 

[mputnal]

Prior to 2018 it was not a major issue. There were times in the busy seasons that large groups would come on our complex property and cause some issues. Mostly drinking and not respecting small children that were enjoying the beach and water. We would explain the private beach issue to them and "respectfully request" that they find another area the next day. That worked most of the time.

Our complex on a "large beach area" day my have 30 - 35 yards of sand from water to seawall. Other days it is much less.

I would agree that a much larger sand area may not lend itself to many, if any, conflicts with others.

And you are correct that the encounters in the last year were a result of the public hostility and the fact that they are grossly misinformed about the issue. It's one thing to get in my face about this, but to confront young women in a hostile way is bizarre. Low-rent crowd maybe?

The issue of beach access has really been ginned up by the activist and entitlement groups. Even during a busy time in the summer, there is plenty of public beach available in our small area. But NOT on the front row of the beach. That causes issues for those that come to public beach and look 100 yards east and west and see front row availability. They want to be there and that is fully understandable.

We have routinely welcomed families with small kids to enjoy our beach area if there is not a big crowd. And they usually ask about the private beach issue. The majority of those we speak with understand and appreciate the clarity and facts of the issue.

Unfortunately, it is lost on the entitlement groups that private beach owners have the rights to THEIR property. This would include bringing their family and friends to the area as well as providing renters with the same opportunity.

Hopefully things will be normal this summer, but with the same "lead" activists involved and a misinformed public, I remain skeptical.

Do you believe you are not an activist putting up signs to try and keep people off what you consider as exclusive to you? Do you believe you are not entitled to complain about a few encounters when many more people are well behaved and respectful? Again and again there is absolutely no one trying to take anything away from you. Your fear is the only thing keeping you from using common sense. Hopefully you will become more informed about people and their love for just going to the beach. Hopefully you will become more informed about how a family just trying to enjoy the beach may feel like when they encounter your "stay off my beach" signs. Until we all learn to control fear from people who just want to stir up the pot , I remain skeptical as well.

 

[Jimmytown]

Maybe I'm simple but if I bought a house on a golf course and my deed extended on to the course I wouldn't make people stop playing golf. Before you say it's different, it's not.

 

[SUP Boarder]

Maybe I'm simple but if I bought a house on a golf course and my deed extended on to the course I wouldn't make people stop playing golf. Before you say it's different, it's not.

...or part of a lake...

...or a bayou...

 

[SUP Babe]

...or part of a lake...

View attachment 108913

...or a bayou...

View attachment 108914

Son of a beach! We got some effed up deeds round here.

 

[SUP View]

Maybe I'm simple but if I bought a house on a golf course and my deed extended on to the course I wouldn't make people stop playing golf. Before you say it's different, it's not.

You probably shouldn't stop there. If that golf course lot owner has a big SUV parked out front on the public street, just go ahead and jump in and take it for a spin. Nobody is using it - what is the harm.

 

[bob bob]

You probably shouldn't stop there. If that golf course lot owner has a big SUV parked out front on the public street, just go ahead and jump in and take it for a spin. Nobody is using it - what is the harm.