Wonderful family vacation...discouraged by beach issues
- Thread starter beachma
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beachma, thank you. And if there is ever a photograph that should be used to address the vendor issue it should be the one you took from the walkover that showed your place between all the setups of the vendors. It broke my heart and made me mad all in the same second. It truly is worth a "1000 words".
Commissioners and their families are involved in Beach vending and golf carts. Two scourges of SoWal. Go figure.
Thank you for solving a mystery for me. I remember a little while back there was this push by just a few people to lower the speed limits on 30A so that the speed limits would allow for golf carts. Cant tell you how many times I see these things loaded up with a trail of half a dozen cars behind them. Seriously aggravating..
That is what a beach resort does and always has done. Provide their guests with beach services. When you stay there this is expected. And usually very well managed by the resort to accommodate guests and to look inviting. I love the stretch of umbrellas at these places. I don't stay there or go there. But it is part of the scene.
Other beaches need to be as regulated as possible to keep beaches pristine and free from an abundance of stuff. Including signs and beach setups. Keep our beaches beautiful.
Beachmana, I understand! We have been coming several times a year for over a decade with our kids and won’t any longer due to the ridiculous vendor situation and now the almost unbelievable Customary Use issue. I have 30a art in my home that I’ve purchased there, professional photography hanging over our fireplace and throughout our home from local photographers, jewelry from The Zoo Gallery, books from The Hidden Lantern, ...it’s so much a part of who we are as a family and it’s heartbreaking. I have to chuckle at our pictures of Rosemary Beach 10 years ago with one small row of umbrellas in June. Now it’s $450 a week for the privilege of sitting on the third row. And the ads that Sowal runs on Facebook showing tranquil beaches with no vendors almost seems like false advertising.
And I don’t even know what to say about Customary Use. What on earth?? We are researching a beach property to buy but now have to look in Orange Beach, Fairhope or possibly South Padre because who wants to deal with the double whammy of vendors and NO TRESPASSING! signs during a vacation?
Anyway, I’m just so sorry for the regular people who live there who might be losing rental money because of this. I’m still trying to wrap my head around somebody thinking this was a good idea.
And I don’t even know what to say about Customary Use. What on earth?? We are researching a beach property to buy but now have to look in Orange Beach, Fairhope or possibly South Padre because who wants to deal with the double whammy of vendors and NO TRESPASSING! signs during a vacation?
Anyway, I’m just so sorry for the regular people who live there who might be losing rental money because of this. I’m still trying to wrap my head around somebody thinking this was a good idea.
@dragonflycafe Many moons ago my father was the Chief of police for South Padre Island. While the beaches are not sandy white and the water is not a clear emerald green like it is here, there is much to be said for the tiny island I use to call home. They have 30 miles of beaches unencumbered by CU signs and vendors taking up miles of public access.
In 1979 The Town of South Padre Island passed the resolution which set forth he Open Beaches Act, the Dune Protection Act insuring that those beaches would always remain accessible to the public while at the same time protecting the dunes.
The town of South Padre also established a building line, commonly referred to as the Historic Building Line, for the Town of South Padre Island Beachfront Construction that would provide a minimum of two hundred feet of open beach above the mean low tide line to ensure the protection of the State's open beaches.
In the 90's South Padre also began began significant beach re nourishment efforts that further insured the beaches would always remain open to the public.
A lot has changed since I was there as a young adult and its grown significantly but they assuredly don't have CU or beach vendor issues.
"Public Beach" in Texas means any beach bordering on the Gulf of Mexico that extends inland from the line of mean low tide to the natural line of vegetation bordering on the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico, or such larger contiguous area to which the public has acquired a right of use or easement to or over by prescription, dedication, or estoppel, or has retained a right by virtue of continuous right in the public since time in memorial as recognized by law or custom. This definition does not include a beach that is not accessible by a public road or ferry as provided in Section 61.021 of the Texas Natural Resources Code.
Seaside vendors claim a forgotten contract allows them more setup space at Seaside. We go down early 7:00 or so & stay there until noon or so depending on water/weather. We use to ride our bikes first then go to the beach by 10:00. Can’t do that anymore....will return soon for our 4th visit this year. Too expensive also. Should go other places instead of ‘just’ beach trips? Ellen