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