Misty,
Your emphatic assertions that there are no private beaches in Walton County is demonstrably wrong as a matter of law and recorded deeds to the contrary. Hundreds of people have legal recorded deeds that state they own their beach by virtue of having paid for them in a voluntary exchange of money for private property in full accord with state and federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the not distant past that sand seaward of the MHWL belongs to the state and that landward belongs to the deed holder of record. As I imagine you are aware, that case was litigated by Okaloosa Island folks represented by Mr. Seifert.
Under state law, where publicly funded beach restoration has been done, the ECL established in concert with that renourishment supplants the MHWL as the demarcation between public and private property.
Had you been at the candidate forum, watched it on tv, or later viewed it online, you’d have heard the candidates’ answers re customary use. While that may be the hot button issue of the moment, Walton County has and will continue to have other overarching problems than customary use, and as the candidates all acknowledge, that issue is going to be settled by the courts, not the BCC or candidates for that posting. It’s one thing to have an opinion. It’s better to have a well-informed one. If you’ve not been to the beach in many years, you need to try to pay it a visit some weekend about now. It’s a disturbing eye-opener. Walton County has not been and continues to fail at being a good steward of the resources of this county, most especially as relates to the golden goose of the beach, the businesses serving the tourists and locals, and the infrastructure supporting them so inadequately.
The reality of Walton County, your hyperbole aside, is that a major threat to citizens expressing opinions critical of the powers that be is retribution against the interests or person of that citizen. While there are no known gulags in our fair county, I can assure you that at least one of the players behind the officials of our govt has sent armed goons to threaten and intimidate business opponents in the past. Another close friend openly critical of the powers that be had armed thugs show up at my friend’s place of business a couple of years ago, posing as BATF agents, looking for my friend and using a bogus rationale. The threats are sufficient that the FBI has been and likely still is quietly involved, watching for some of these folks to make the slip that impels federal action at last.
Neither of us knows who the agents of the 501c4 putting out the ads are, and neither of us has any knowledge of why they support Bill and Melanie. Those agents’ motivation is entirely beside the point to me. I’m going to vote for the folks whom I believe will bring a fresh perspective and a clean break with the past. I’d love it if they got in and voted for everything I favored, but I’ll settle for folks who are devoted to following the law and trying their dead level best to do what they, after appropriate due diligence, believe to be the best thing for the citizens of Walton County, and doing so in a courteous and respectful manner.
I'm sorry you have health and personal reasons that preclude your attending the candidate forums sponsored by the WCTA. The recent one is available online for your viewing. I believe the link is in the WCTA website, and I'm pretty sure Bob Hudson has posted that link on one of these Sowal forums. I don't know if the upcoming DFS forum will be video and available both on local TV channel 24(?) and later online. but I believe that is planned.
Your emphatic assertions that there are no private beaches in Walton County is demonstrably wrong as a matter of law and recorded deeds to the contrary. Hundreds of people have legal recorded deeds that state they own their beach by virtue of having paid for them in a voluntary exchange of money for private property in full accord with state and federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the not distant past that sand seaward of the MHWL belongs to the state and that landward belongs to the deed holder of record. As I imagine you are aware, that case was litigated by Okaloosa Island folks represented by Mr. Seifert.
Under state law, where publicly funded beach restoration has been done, the ECL established in concert with that renourishment supplants the MHWL as the demarcation between public and private property.
Had you been at the candidate forum, watched it on tv, or later viewed it online, you’d have heard the candidates’ answers re customary use. While that may be the hot button issue of the moment, Walton County has and will continue to have other overarching problems than customary use, and as the candidates all acknowledge, that issue is going to be settled by the courts, not the BCC or candidates for that posting. It’s one thing to have an opinion. It’s better to have a well-informed one. If you’ve not been to the beach in many years, you need to try to pay it a visit some weekend about now. It’s a disturbing eye-opener. Walton County has not been and continues to fail at being a good steward of the resources of this county, most especially as relates to the golden goose of the beach, the businesses serving the tourists and locals, and the infrastructure supporting them so inadequately.
The reality of Walton County, your hyperbole aside, is that a major threat to citizens expressing opinions critical of the powers that be is retribution against the interests or person of that citizen. While there are no known gulags in our fair county, I can assure you that at least one of the players behind the officials of our govt has sent armed goons to threaten and intimidate business opponents in the past. Another close friend openly critical of the powers that be had armed thugs show up at my friend’s place of business a couple of years ago, posing as BATF agents, looking for my friend and using a bogus rationale. The threats are sufficient that the FBI has been and likely still is quietly involved, watching for some of these folks to make the slip that impels federal action at last.
Neither of us knows who the agents of the 501c4 putting out the ads are, and neither of us has any knowledge of why they support Bill and Melanie. Those agents’ motivation is entirely beside the point to me. I’m going to vote for the folks whom I believe will bring a fresh perspective and a clean break with the past. I’d love it if they got in and voted for everything I favored, but I’ll settle for folks who are devoted to following the law and trying their dead level best to do what they, after appropriate due diligence, believe to be the best thing for the citizens of Walton County, and doing so in a courteous and respectful manner.
I'm sorry you have health and personal reasons that preclude your attending the candidate forums sponsored by the WCTA. The recent one is available online for your viewing. I believe the link is in the WCTA website, and I'm pretty sure Bob Hudson has posted that link on one of these Sowal forums. I don't know if the upcoming DFS forum will be video and available both on local TV channel 24(?) and later online. but I believe that is planned.
