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IRIETYMES

Beach Lover
Jul 9, 2007
169
30
I wonder if anyone has been posting here about the proposed Inlet Beach public bathroom facility that the TDC has decided to thrust on that area? I have been receiving numerous emails and have sent my opinions to various public officials in Walton County regarding the plan/s that are being, in my opinion, deviously forced on the owners of property at Inlet Beach. We know that the beach there is popular with locals and visitors, that the parking area invites visits to that beach, that a lifeguard station there attracts folks, that the beach there is just gorgeous, and that a bathroom is woefully needed since the area has been served by first one, then two porta-lets that detracted from the access. BUT, the planned facility is huge, includes a tall, peaked roof line, a breezeway for visitors to "hang-out", and will cost $250,000! Couple that with the information we have that the TDC will ask for a 12.5% increase in the bed tax and you have a perfect storm of bureaucratic ineptitude, quasi-governmental financial bungling, a lax attitude towards the natural area that fronts property along Park Place since the facility will intrude into that area and will also partially block the roadway, too, a total ignoring of owners of proerty who look for rentals to support their ownership since the facility will obstruct views of the Gulf, poor architectural planning, poor communication with residents and property owners (who foot the tax bill that supports such endeavors), and a vision of the area clouded by day-dreaming. The parking area already has attracted an increase in loitering by groups and individuals, trash has increased in the area, and invariably crime will increase whether that be petty crime (automobile break-ins, underage drinking, unsavory behavior, etc.), or more violent crimes. Those of us who own at Inlet Beach would welcome any assistance from others on this Board in reducing the size of the facility, the intrusion of the facility into the natural area and the inherent reduction in property values and usage by renters.

Thanks,

Bill Butler
owner of a condo at Inlet Beach and a single-family home at Inlet Beach, also
 

Bluznbeach

Beach Lover
Jul 11, 2005
184
52
www.davidsswan.com
Bill: I haven't been down for awhile so this is the first I've heard about this, but I'm sure curious. Has the TDC posted anything on their site, and if not, do you know where I can find the details? Thanks.:dunno:
 

wrobert

Beach Fanatic
Nov 21, 2007
4,134
575
61
DeFuniak Springs
www.defuniaksprings.com
Bill: I haven't been down for awhile so this is the first I've heard about this, but I'm sure curious. Has the TDC posted anything on their site, and if not, do you know where I can find the details? Thanks.:dunno:


They have been working/planning/talking about putting a bathroom/park facility in that location for years.

The 12.5% tax increase is going specifically to market a low cost airline, not to build this facility.

Walton County is building an animal shelter that cost 2.9 million. So 250K for a bathroom is probably about right. I am sure it will be cat 6 rated.

But I certainly understand that these sort of places do end up being a place to hang out. Next thing you know someone will want to build a McDonald's close by, with a drive thru, so families can get some food for the kids, and then it is all downhill from there.

It is on the agenda Monday night, 5:30, so people need to come and speak out. Monday's meeting is going to be a hoot. TDC tax increase, noise ordinance, bathrooms at Inlet Beach. It will be midnight getting through all of that.
 

SneakyPete

Beach Lover
May 8, 2009
113
61
I appreciate the concerns of the homeowners, but those of us who don't live on the beach, but do pay Walton County taxes, also deserve beach access with good facilities AND a place to "hang out" as well -- a place to seek cover when rain blows in, or to rest and picnic out of the sun, or just...er LOITER...on the beach! I never knew we inland dwellers who, along with our spawn and their suspcicious teenage friends, frequent the shops and restaurants of South Walton were considred dangerous riff-raff merely in search of the nearest McDonalds and a spot for our gangland grafitti. Bow to the Sea Turtles, Yo! Get it...our gang is..oh nevermind.

$250,00 for bathroom facility and covered area built to beach codes sounds pretty dang reasonable. As for the architecture, maybe there can be some compromises as to the roof pitch so that some views aren't blocked, but rest assured there will always be someone who is unhappy with it, no matter how attractive it is, and parking will always be a problem in the summer season, bathroom or no bathroom.
 

pgurney

Beach Fanatic
Jul 11, 2005
587
66
ATL & Seacrest
Does anyone know the exact location of these restrooms? I've been getting copied on all the emails, but it seems that details have not been made readily available. If I understood correctly, there was also some mention of the fact the facility had gotten so big that they would be encroaching on the dunes and were considering relocating a bit into the parking lot. That parking lot is not that big and the road is not that wide. This facility may end up in someone's front door so I can appreciate the concerns - the TDC could really hurt someone's ability to enjoy their own property/view/value.
 

wrobert

Beach Fanatic
Nov 21, 2007
4,134
575
61
DeFuniak Springs
www.defuniaksprings.com
Does anyone know the exact location of these restrooms? I've been getting copied on all the emails, but it seems that details have not been made readily available. If I understood correctly, there was also some mention of the fact the facility had gotten so big that they would be encroaching on the dunes and were considering relocating a bit into the parking lot. That parking lot is not that big and the road is not that wide. This facility may end up in someone's front door so I can appreciate the concerns - the TDC could really hurt someone's ability to enjoy their own property/view/value.


The TDC has to build to codes just like everyone else so the possibility of someone's view being changed is no different.
 

IRIETYMES

Beach Lover
Jul 9, 2007
169
30
Sorry, Pete

No one has been using riff-raff, spawn, suspicious, etc. in the advance of our complaint that I know of, but the simple fact is as I stated it and as you note. One things leads to another. I wish it didn't, but there it is, a bathroom that is over 1,000 sq.ft. of roof line approx. 17' tall with a breezeway for hanging out, etc. and you invite trouble eventually. I know. I was trouble when I was younger. We all want a facility that is not so tall, not South Walton County sign Blue, that is environmentally green, has less footprint, less intrusive. No question about it. I have a ground floor unit facing the east end of the parking lot and my view will be primarily of the facility, partially hidden by our shrubbery, and I will get the full effect of the odors and increased noise that accompany such a facility. I know not everyone will ever be pleased. But I also know that those of us who bought there for our use and for rental income to assist in offsetting the cost pay taxes, and we were not consulted, not communicated with until suddenly it was a done deal. I never said the 12.5% increase in the bed tax was for the facility; merely that in these tough economic times when rentals are declining, income is threatened on our investments, this tax threatens us even more, and with a facility costing a quarter of a million dollars, it just doesn't add up. And now to hear about the animal shelter cost makes even less sense. We all love Inlet Beach, South Walton County, Florida equally. We or at least I want to see this handled in as balanced mode as possible to avoid any conflicts in the future, or to make such conflicts less abrasive to all concerned. As for the riff-raff, the spawn, I've raised three sons who were the absolute spawn of Satan at times, but we perservered, lived and learned and love each other to this day and that little area of paradise. And we share equally with whomever shows up on the beach with no thoughts of beach ownership or access restrictions. But concerns remain about the size, architecture, color, environmental impact of the bath. Hope all attend that Monday meeting and voice a thought. That's democracy. See ya'll soon on the beach.
 

BeachSiO2

Beach Fanatic
Jun 16, 2006
3,294
737
I believe a good point of contact for the TDC would be Dave Sell. He has boards showing the design of the restroom and location for anyone that is interested.

I do know that the design of the restroom has been presented in at least 5 or 6 meetings including one meeting in Rosemary Beach, two (or three) TDC Beach Management Committee Meetings, two TDC meetings, and one BCC meeting. Due to input from the community, it has been reduced in size and height, moved as far north as possible along the existing ADA sidewalk so to not impact the remaining/existing scrub habitat, incorporates the existing walkway for entry and exit so as to limit the width of the access. It has also undergone environmental review and has been approved and accepted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management. The South Walton Turtle Watch Group has no concerns with the project. Finally, it is ADA accessible and is lower in height than the most recent Van Ness Butler Regional Beach Access constructed between Seaside and Watercolor.

Finally, I started a thread last year when the public meetings began...

http://www.sowal.com/bb/local-government/25511-tdc-seeks-public-input-inlet-beach-restrooms.html

As I have stated in threads before, this post is not on behalf of the TDC. It is only on behalf of someone who has been involved in the process and attended at least 4 of the meetings listed above.
 

pgurney

Beach Fanatic
Jul 11, 2005
587
66
ATL & Seacrest
I believe a good point of contact for the TDC would be Dave Sell. He has boards showing the design of the restroom and location for anyone that is interested.

I do know that the design of the restroom has been presented in at least 5 or 6 meetings including one meeting in Rosemary Beach, two (or three) TDC Beach Management Committee Meetings, two TDC meetings, and one BCC meeting. Due to input from the community, it has been reduced in size and height, moved as far north as possible along the existing ADA sidewalk so to not impact the remaining/existing scrub habitat, incorporates the existing walkway for entry and exit so as to limit the width of the access. It has also undergone environmental review and has been approved and accepted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management. The South Walton Turtle Watch Group has no concerns with the project. Finally, it is ADA accessible and is lower in height than the most recent Van Ness Butler Regional Beach Access constructed between Seaside and Watercolor.

Finally, I started a thread last year when the public meetings began...

http://www.sowal.com/bb/local-government/25511-tdc-seeks-public-input-inlet-beach-restrooms.html

As I have stated in threads before, this post is not on behalf of the TDC. It is only on behalf of someone who has been involved in the process and attended at least 4 of the meetings listed above.

Thanks. Do you if it is to be located directly in the center, at the end of S. Orange or is it off to the east or west?
 
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