Tootsie wrote: "I read Susan's article about the signs and glad she addressed this because, to me, Seaside has always been very open to the public and I hope it stays this way.
...I haven't heard about anyone being told to leave the pavillion or beach areas - I hope this isn't a problem"
Tootsie and all, maybe the below will fill in a few pieces of how dramatic the actions of just one or two people can be:
"I live in Seagrove Beach with my wife. We built our house over a year ago and we absolutely love living in this community. I agree with your opinions and although I do not live in Seaside I shop and dine there. We are members of the Seaside tennis and fitness club. We attend the Seaside chapel, where my wife is a volunteer. We are donors to the Seaside Repertory Theater and our daughter was married on the beach in Seaside this past year. We have made wonderful friends in Seaside and all through the local community. We support all the local businesses in Seaside and bordering communities.
In the past year we have felt as though Seaside is taking on an image of "if you do not live here, you're not welcome." I will give you 2 perfect example's. This past summer, members of our family walked from our home to the Seaside Fitness center (where we are members). As they crossed past Tupelo St. into Seaside, they were confronted by an individual who asked them if they lived in Seaside and of course the answer was no, "we are going to the fitness club". They were then told that Seaside is a private community and is only for homeowners or guests of Seaside. WOW! I guess that was in the small print when we paid our family membership last year.
Example 2: I work from home and I will several times per week ride my bike at lunchtime to a local shop to purchase something to eat. Many times I would ride into Seaside and stop at Modica's or Roly Poly, buy lunch and walk to a pavilion to enjoy the beauty of the beach. About a month ago,I stopped at Modica's, bought a sandwich, hopped on my bike and stopped at one of the pavilion's to eat and enjoy the beautiful day before returning to work. Within 2 minutes of sitting down and unwrapping my sandwich, I was confronted by a woman who asked if I was a resident of Seaside. Of course I said no I was just eating lunch before returning to work. She then proceeded to tell me that this was private property, I was trespassing and I had to leave or she would call security. Again WOW! I looked around, there was no one on the pavilion, on the beach or anywhere else I could see. I very politely gathered my lunch, bid her a good day and left. I wasn't mad but actually sad, I was not welcome. I will not go back to Seaside at lunchtime and I doubt we will renew our membership to the tennis and fitness club either.
I am perplexed to understand why Seaside would want to encourage this? I say encourage it since obviously it is not discouraged. I doubt that one person would have the authority to place signs at entrances and all around Seaside, so it must be a Seaside majority vote that rules? I guess this is acceptable to Robert Davis as well? I have never met Mr. Davis but admire or shall I say did admire his vision and "new urbanism" approach. If this Seaside is new urbanism then I am not a fan.
I agree that with the limited parking space in front of houses,
people attending events etc, should not park in front of homes. Which leads me to another interesting observation. Golf carts unless they are Seaside golf carts are not allowed? Does it not make more sense that a golf cart would help reduce car traffic and actually be safer and cause less of a parking problem than a full size car? If this is the direction that the Seaside community wants to go then I would suggest installing security gates and issuing passes that only admit Seaside residents. I doubt that the Seaside businesses owners are pleased that customers are being run out of town, but Seaside is doing an effective job of discouraging folks from coming in.
We do not loiter, we pick up trash if it is strewn around, whether it is
Seaside or Seacrest or Grayton Beach or Seagrove. We live here and respect the beauty of all of Walton County.
Tony Lagratta
Seagrove Beach"