Rosemary Thymes Beach Access Article

Here is the (in)famous article from the Fall 2007 Rosemary Thymes
EXTRA SECURITY HIRED FOR BEACH AND BEACH WALKOVERS

"Just too many people" is the refrain that has been heard all over south walton this summer as large numbers of visitiors clogged roads and crowded beaches.

In Rosemary Beach the problem is particularly acute at at the West Water Street access on the town's west side. after hearing complaints from homeowners, town manager Jim Bagby decided to find out just how many are too many.

A revealing count was taken on Memorial Day Weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, the 134 and 154 peaple, respectively, were turned away from W. Water Street. On Monday, when many visitors had already left, 80 people were still turned away in a five hour time period.

"We are trying to balance being good neighbors with the homeowners' rights," Bagby said. "After spending over $2 million on rebuilding walkovers and buying sand and sea oats the homeowners should not have to fight for space on the beach," he said.

"Our position is that our beach is a private beach but we want to be a welcoming, vibrant town, the center of activity in southeast Walton County. The challenge is to balance the two."

On September 10, the Rosemary Beach board of directors voted to hire security to enforce the privacy of the beach and the beach walkovers.

"We will be sending letters to remind our neighbors," Bagby said, "that the beach walkovers and the beach are private. To avoid embarrassment or calls from angry renters, they need to let them know where the public beach access and the Seacrest access are located."

No one was available for comment from the Seacrest Beach community, Rosemary's nearest neighbor to W. Water Street. However, according to their website and to local vacation rental agents the sole b each access available to Seacrest Beach owners and guests is an easement through the Sunset Beach community, a gated development on the south side of 30-A.

A tram service currently operates in Seacrest Beach Memorial Day through Labor Day, or guests may walk through Sunset Beach but bicycles, scooters, golf carts, and other wheeled traffic is not permitted making the access incovenient for many.

"We have abandoned that access," said a Seacrest Beach couple using the W. Water Street access one day last week, explaining that even though Sunset Beach is their designated legal access they don't feel welcome there.

The couple (who wish to remain anonymous) also said they were told by their realtor when purchasing in Seacrest Beach that they had the use of the W. Water Street access.

"Rosemary Beach wants us to use their shops and restaurants, but not their beaches," they said.

Their comments echo sentiments heard locally as more and more beachfront owners are taking action to protect their property.

A lively debate took place on an area internet message board (www.sowal.com/bb) over the summer following the July trespassing arrest of an unauthorized guest on a privately owned beach in Blue Mountain. A range of views were expressed, some echoing the Seacrest Beach couple, others defending private ownership of beaches, and still others expressing moderation and attempting a balancing act between competing interests.

At the end of the day, many sought legal guidance from the courts as needed, but for now, Rosemary Beach homeowners must seek their own solutions. "Public beaches are not the law in this part of Florida right now," Bagby explained. Currently, there is little dispute that the public does have the right to use the wet sand portion of the beaches. It is that line in the sand between the wet and the dry that is generally taken as the dividing line between public and private.

The Walton County TDC acknowledged this in a press release which stated the following: "Most public beach accesses are nestled between private properties. Beach goers should stay within the easement of the dune walkover to set up on the dry beach. Along 30-A, beachgoers who wish to have beach set-ups outside of these areas must be on the wet sand."

While there are no public beach access between Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach (the location of Seacrest), the county's largest beach access, Inlet Beach, is located east of Rosemary Beach. With 13 acres of preserved beach and dune and a parking spot is usually easy to find.

So, what does everybody think about this?;-)