How a rogue cop almost ruined my wedding because he doesn’t understand the law

[bloomcreatives]

Hello SoWal-ers,
I am a frequent visitor to your gorgeous towns. The majority of my immediately family lives in Santa Rosa Beach, and has going back over a decade. We have many ties to the area, personally and professionally. I knew as soon as I became engaged that my fiancé and I would marry on Grayton Beach.

We chose to have our ceremony on the beach and the evening reception at one of the two beach houses we had rented for the occasion. My brother, who has lived in Santa Rosa Beach for over 11 years, arranged for Dikki Du and the Zydeco Kru to play at the reception, knowing that since the party started at 6:00 and the noise ordinance doesn’t go into effect until 10:00 we would have four hours to enjoy some great music.

The wedding was on Sunday, October 12 - Columbus Day weekend, and coincidentally the same day as the musician’s march, which we fully supported. We had a small wedding, with only 40 guests.

At 9:20 PM - a full 40 minutes before the noise ordinance goes into effect - a police cruiser pulled up. Without getting out of the vehicle, the cop - who looked like he wasn’t even 21 years old - demanded to talk to the person in charge. My new husband approached the car and the officer yelled “Cops”-style, “You have one minute to shut this thing down or you’re getting arrested.”

To which my husband replied, “Sir, would you mind stepping out of the car so we can discuss this like adults?” (He really said it like that; he’s British and you know how unfailingly polite those Limeys are.)

The cop pounced out of the cruiser, grabbed his handcuffs and tried to drag my husband around the back of the car to handcuff him.

Read that again.

This South Walton Sheriff’s Deputy was going to arrest my husband for asking him to have a conversation. At his own wedding.

When the rest of the family saw this happening a huge “WTF” rose from the crowd, and the officer wisely physically let go of my husband. My father approached to try to diffuse the situation, and the officer was even more aggressive with him. He demanded that the party be shut down, despite the fact that he admitted he had not received a noise complaint, and despite the fact that it was still 40 minutes before the ordinance took effect.

He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.

Now, my father is a reasonable man. At his age, all he wants to do is spend his days fishing and having a couple beers while watching the sun set over the Gulf with his buddies, and seeing his children have happy days that are not at the expense of other people’s comfort or running afoul of the law.

But this cop threatened the groom, and the bride’s father, with arrest - not for committing any crime (because they hadn’t), but because they had the nerve to stand up for their rights and correct the officer’s mistaken view of the situation.

Eventually the cop figured out that this was not a battle he was going to win and drove off. My brother immediately got on the horn with the Sheriff’s office to lodge a complaint. The band came back to enjoy some drinks with us, and the guitarist treated us to another hour and a half’s worth of solo work. We played tunes off my iPod after that. The party went on until 3 in the morning - and most of the wonderful residents on Defuniak Street joined in the fun at some point during the night.

My father went down to the Sheriff’s office in Grayton the next day to raise a stink, and the guy he spoke with - was extremely apologetic. He said they have had complaints about that officer before and that he was definitely in the wrong. That’s nice and all, but that apology doesn’t take away what happened.

40 of us spent ten days in Grayton. We rented two beach houses on Defuniak Street and pumped a hell of a lot of money into the town’s coffers during that time - every meal was eaten in a locally-owned restaurant, every drink was drank at Red Bar or Jambone, local liquor stores, grocery stores, party supply rentals... hell, I even walked the beach every single night filling in the damn holes dug by children we didn't know so the sea turtles wouldn’t fall in and die. My husband and I are considering buying a place down there because we love the area so much, but almost reconsidered because of the treatment we received. Needless to say we were relieved to hear of the complete overhaul the Sheriff’s department is about to get.

I understand that this noise ordinance is a touchy issue, as demonstrated by the unfortunate events at the Salty Dog. But for crying out loud, we bent over backwards to make sure that we were within the law - let all the neighbors know what was going on, scheduled within the time frame, etc. - and we still were treated like we were raping and pillaging the town.

I hope this issue is figured out soon, because it is absolutely ruining an otherwise idyllic place.

PS - I have a photo of all of this going down is anyone's interested...

[goodwitch58]

Sorry this happened to you--what can I say? sometimes I think the cops around just don't have enough to do...hopefully, you will buy a place here or at least continue to visit.

We do have our growing pains, but still it is the most wonderful place to live.:welcome:

[aggieb]

now that's a damn shame. i too am sorry that happened.

[sunspotbaby]

Rookies ...:roll:

Were ya'll at the house on the beach east of Red bar on the 11th?

I considered crashing....:blush:

Looked like a good time ! Sorry about the PoPo's. That sucks. :bang:

[bluemtnrunner]

Police brutality???? Pictures? sounds like you have evidence.

[bloomcreatives]

No, there were actually four weddings on Grayton Beach that weekend - three on Saturday the 11th, and ours was on Sunday the 12th. The one east of Red Bar was just getting started as we finished our rehearsal - it looked beautiful! Wonder if they got shot down as that reception would have been an evening one, too. We had the tent set up outside of Tuckered Out at the beach end of Defuniak Street.

[steeleing1]

No, there were actually four weddings on Grayton Beach that weekend - three on Saturday the 11th, and ours was on Sunday the 12th. The one east of Red Bar was just getting started as we finished our rehearsal - it looked beautiful! Wonder if they got shot down as that reception would have been an evening one, too. We had the tent set up outside of Tuckered Out at the beach end of Defuniak Street.

I just read your story aloud to my husband. We actually saw your group setting up on Sunday and he jokingly but somewhat prophetically said "good luck, folks." We were on our way to the march, I think.

So sorry this happened to you, though.

[Beachbummett]

First off, Congratulations! I wish you the very best! You chose a gorgeous place to start your new life together. :clap::clap::clap:

By chance did this officer have tattoos on his arms?

[WhoDat1]

As a law enforcement officer, I would like to apologize to you. That is definately a training problem. Please don't think we are all like that. We have SOO many young, inexperienced officers. And by the time they get good and knowledgeable, they leave and go to a higher paying gig.

Again, I apologize.

[bloomcreatives]

By chance did this officer have tattoos on his arms?

Thanks for the congrats! No, I don't believe he did, and I can't really see any in the photos. He was short, maybe 5'8", had a dirty blonde crew cut and sideburns.

Officer guy above, I know not every officer is like that - I dealt with the Sheriff's substation several times during our trip to get bonfire permits, and the ones I dealt with were very helpful. However, it has been known for a loooooong time that there are too many officers in Santa Rosa Beach with not enough to do, and when you combine that with the power trip young guys get on when given a badge, a gun and a little authority, you're asking for trouble.

Do these guys realize what would have happened if he actually had arrested an elderly, retired New York City firefighter (who is recovering from cancer, by the way) - and the groom - at his own daughter's wedding, when he wasn't doing a thing wrong? We're not litigious folks, but you can guarantee that the home we hope to buy down there would have been paid for by the Sheriff's Department.

[ASH]

Yes, you got mis-treated and I am glad that the officer thought better than to elevate the situation.

Glad all worked out for the best.

And just because it needs to be said, The Sheriff's Department is funded by the wonderful resident's of Walton County. Please don't punish all of us for what one inexperienced cop did. Hopefully your approach, had it gotten ugly, would have been to give that boy his marching orders instead.

Hope to see you around.

[Scooter]

I too have had problems with law enforcement on Grayton Beach. We also have owned property in Grayton for 7 years. I've been visiting the area since 1984. It's almost impossible to have a good time on the beach anymore. Thanks to the Sheriff's Dept. for recognizing the problem. A major overhaul is long overdue.:pissed:

[truluv]

Seems like this particular officer might enjoy busting the meth heads north of the bay. Seems like 30-A duty would be a drive in the park, given to officers who are good dealing with mostly well behaved citizens. Seems that if this officer has had problems of the same nature, he might not stay an officer long. Seems like it's time for q new sherrif in town.....

[Franny]

That is a very sad situation and I for one am glad you posted the ordeal on sowal. First of all, the new officiers obviously needs additional training and preferrably a seasoned officer to cruise with the rookie for the first several months. I do hope you gave his name to the Sheriff's office. Second we have had many parties and bonfires on the beach and have never had a incident from the WCSO. Hopefully, this was a bad apple and he receives the help he obviously needs. Congrats on the wedding and we hope you visit our little paradise often.

[scooterbug44]

Were there issues with the other 3 weddings that weekend that caused this officer to overreact that way? :idontno:

Very sorry to hear about your experience - everyone I have ever dealt with in the WCSO has been incredibly polite and helpful.

Hopefully if this officer is a recurring problem, the new sheriff can get rid of him! I would think not arresting members of the wedding party would be public relations 101!

[Franny]

Were there issues with the other 3 weddings that weekend that caused this officer to overreact that way? :idontno:

Very sorry to hear about your experience - everyone I have ever dealt with in the WCSO has been incredibly polite and helpful.

Hopefully if this officer is a recurring problem, the new sheriff can get rid of him! I would think not arresting members of the wedding party would be public relations 101!

You would think!:roll: I hope our sheriff to be reads this post.

[Amy@Avalon]

A a member of the wedding "industry" in SoWal, let me also say how sorry I am for the poor treatment. Weddings and events are a huge boost to our local economy, especially in the shoulder season.

[Smiling JOe]

Not surprising that it happened. There are always a few rookie cops on any squad who need to feel authoritative, and they do this by intimidating others. Stand up for your Constitutional rights and you will be slammed to the ground, handcuffed and hauled to jail. Fortunately, as mentioned, not all are like that, but those who are should be faster than KingFish'n can catch a Pompano.

[bloomcreatives]

I am not aware of any issues with the other weddings earlier in the weekend. One was immediately next door to us, but it was during daylight hours. As far as the others went, it appeared that they all left on Sunday, and we never had a chance to chat with them. We spent Saturday evening on the bay at my parents home for our rehearsal dinner, so we would have missed any action on Grayton.

[jim45]

We chose to have our ceremony on the beach and the evening reception at one of the two beach houses we had rented for the occasion. My brother, who has lived in Santa Rosa Beach for over 11 years, arranged for Dikki Du and the Zydeco Kru to play at the reception, knowing that since the party started at 6:00 and the noise ordinance doesn’t go into effect until 10:00 we would have four hours to enjoy some great music.

Actually, the time you are making noise doesn't matter. People have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their property no matter what time it is. It probably wouldn't be a problem though if you keep the noise level to an acceptable level. Grayton Beach's tolerance for noise is low.


The wedding was on Sunday, October 12 - Columbus Day weekend, and coincidentally the same day as the musician’s march, which we fully supported. We had a small wedding, with only 40 guests.

Tolerance for noise is lower on Sunday, especially in the offseason. The number of guests is irrelevant. The march you mention is about a noise issue. Citizens and the lawmen are more sensitive at the moment.


At 9:20 PM - a full 40 minutes before the noise ordinance goes into effect - a police cruiser pulled up. Without getting out of the vehicle, the cop - who looked like he wasn’t even 21 years old - demanded to talk to the person in charge. My new husband approached the car and the officer yelled “Cops”-style, “You have one minute to shut this thing down or you’re getting arrested.”
To which my husband replied, “Sir, would you mind stepping out of the car so we can discuss this like adults?” (He really said it like that; he’s British and you know how unfailingly polite those Limeys are.)
Why do you mention how old he looked? It makes you sound contemptuous and a little petty. I seriously doubt he threatened arrest within one minute, unless he was responding to an affront, even then it's unlikely even for a rookie. Your husband's response was very disrespectful and insulting in my book, implying that the officer is a child. If he had replied with something reasonable like, "we're wrapping it up now sir, I'll hurry them up", he would probably have left. Whether the officer was polite or not is irrelevant and he's trying to do a job whether you like it or not.


When the rest of the family saw this happening a huge “WTF” rose from the crowd, and the officer wisely physically let go of my husband. My father approached to try to diffuse the situation, and the officer was even more aggressive with him. He demanded that the party be shut down, despite the fact that he admitted he had not received a noise complaint, and despite the fact that it was still 40 minutes before the ordinance took effect.

He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.
Your father should have kept his distance. Approaching after there has already been contact could be felt as threatening.


He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.
It's not relevant how old your father is, whether he's a nice guy, where he owns property, or where he worked.


My father went down to the Sheriff’s office in Grayton the next day to raise a stink
Really? Raise a stink? What's the point?


40 of us spent ten days in Grayton. We rented two beach houses on Defuniak Street and pumped a hell of a lot of money into the town’s coffers during that time - every meal was eaten in a locally-owned restaurant, every drink was drank at Red Bar or Jambone, local liquor stores, grocery stores, party supply rentals... hell, I even walked the beach every single night filling in the damn holes dug by children we didn't know so the sea turtles wouldn’t fall in and die. My husband and I are considering buying a place down there because we love the area so much, but almost reconsidered because of the treatment we received. Needless to say we were relieved to hear of the complete overhaul the Sheriff’s department is about to get..

This makes you sound like many of the spoiled visitors who come here and think that because you have a lot of money and pump it into us you can do what you want. What do sea turtles have to do with party noise?
You should consider not moving here if such a small incident has made you so angry. You need to be more laid back to live at the beach. One day the "rude cop" could be a funny part of your wedding day story if you would just lighten up.

I understand that this noise ordinance is a touchy issue, as demonstrated by the unfortunate events at the Salty Dog. But for crying out loud, we bent over backwards to make sure that we were within the law - let all the neighbors know what was going on, scheduled within the time frame, etc. - and we still were treated like we were raping and pillaging the town.
I hope this issue is figured out soon, because it is absolutely ruining an otherwise idyllic place.
PS - I have a photo of all of this going down is anyone's interested...

A little dramatic don't you think?

I am certain it would be a mistake to post a photo if it identifies the officer. If you really can't drop the issue you should do it like an adult. Take it to the Sheriff's office.

[bloomcreatives]

Wow Jim, you must be one of the people with the Sheriff's office on speed dial.

I brought up the cop's age because he was obviously a rookie and had no idea what he was doing - a seasoned officer would have handled the situation very differently, and rightly so. A seasoned officer would have, oh, I don't know, maybe known what the law was, first of all. And he also would have gotten out of his car and asked politely to speak with someone, not threatened anyone, not raised his voice when no one gave him reason to.

And he did, in fact, threaten arrest immediately. We have over three dozen witnesses who heard it.

The time is extremely relevant. The noise ordinance has a time for a reason. People are allowed to enjoy themselves, you know. It was a reasonable hour, and it's not as if we were blasting AC/DC to get a Central American dictator out of his mansion.

It is not, in fact, a mistake to post the photo. He was standing on the street, which was public property, therefore he has no expectation of privacy. I myself am a photographer. I know the law (which is more than we can say for the police officer in question).

I am not just some visitor throwing money around. If you read my post, you would see that I said my family has lived in the area for over a decade, owns property, votes, pays taxes, and helps run two businesses in the area, one of which is extraordinarily important to the economy of Grayton Beach.

We were not having a rave, for crying out loud. It was a wedding. And it was not a random Sunday night - it was a holiday weekend, which we purposely picked because we knew people would have Monday off. The number of people is very relevant - it was not a large, boisterous party and we were not breaking any occupancy laws, either.

If you chose to stretch your critical thinking skills, you would understand that I brought up my father's age and profession for two reasons: one, to demonstrate that he was not a threat - is a 67-year-old man really a physical threat to a 20-year-old in peak physical shape? I mentioned his profession as a demonstration that as someone who worked in public safety for 20 years, he is respectful of others who do so. Sadly, in this case that respect was not given back to any of us.

He visited the station the next day to discuss the situation with the officer on duty because the officer is in dire need of people skills. There was absolutely no reason for him to behave the way he did, to talk to us the way he did, to threaten us the way he did, and that's without even getting into the fact that we were not breaking any laws or ordinances. If you went to the grocery store and the cashier was a jerk to you, I am quite sure you would complain to his manager.

Please remember that your local economy depends on those "spoiled visitors" who spend their hard-earned money renting your beach houses, paying for bonfire permits, buying their drinks at Red Bar, eating their sushi at Basmati's, renting their beach chairs and umbrellas from that awesome guy at the end of Defuniak Street, and drinking their morning coffee at Miss Lucille's. Sorry if you don't like it, but that's life in a resort town. That is not to say that you are at the beck and call of the tourists, but if they stop coming, your entire economy dries up. Not everyone in the area is independently wealthy, Jim. Perhaps it would do you good to remember your neighbors who own businesses who depend on those "spoiled tourists" to put food in their kid's mouths.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know what happened. Take it as you will.

[ozbeachmom]

Actually, the time you are making noise doesn't matter. People have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their property no matter what time it is. It probably wouldn't be a problem though if you keep the noise level to an acceptable level. Grayton Beach's tolerance for noise is low.


Tolerance for noise is lower on Sunday, especially in the offseason. The number of guests is irrelevant. The march you mention is about a noise issue. Citizens and the lawmen are more sensitive at the moment.


Why do you mention how old he looked? It makes you sound contemptuous and a little petty. I seriously doubt he threatened arrest within one minute, unless he was responding to an affront, even then it's unlikely even for a rookie. Your husband's response was very disrespectful and insulting in my book, implying that the officer is a child. If he had replied with something reasonable like, "we're wrapping it up now sir, I'll hurry them up", he would probably have left. Whether the officer was polite or not is irrelevant and he's trying to do a job whether you like it or not.


Your father should have kept his distance. Approaching after there has already been contact could be felt as threatening.


It's not relevant how old your father is, whether he's a nice guy, where he owns property, or where he worked.


Really? Raise a stink? What's the point?


This makes you sound like many of the spoiled visitors who come here and think that because you have a lot of money and pump it into us you can do what you want. What do sea turtles have to do with party noise?
You should consider not moving here if such a small incident has made you so angry. You need to be more laid back to live at the beach. One day the "rude cop" could be a funny part of your wedding day story if you would just lighten up.



A little dramatic don't you think?

I am certain it would be a mistake to post a photo if it identifies the officer. If you really can't drop the issue you should do it like an adult. Take it to the Sheriff's office.


Are you the police officer in question?? From your post it sounds like it!

[Here4Good]

Whether the officer was polite or not is irrelevant and he's trying to do a job whether you like it or not.


This is absolutely not true. My father was a police officer for 35 years, and this is a subject I have heard about time and time again.

The officer was approaching a gathering of adults, in a residential area, and should have started off with civility, not threats. Did he feel as though he had to take control immediately in order to prevent the mob from becoming violent? If so, he showed poor judgment.

I agree with whoever said that the 30-A patrol ought to be a cherry one - one that you have to work your way up to.

Like it or not, this is a tourist area and requires different skills on the part of law enforcement to insure that we keep the peace, but do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Putting a rookie with a bad temper on the Grayton Beach complaint was an error on the part of management.

[HeyJude]

Just ignore Jim45, bloomcreatives. The majority of locals (at least those that have moved here from somewhere else) sincerely appreciate our visitors. It is posters like Jim45 that use words like "spoiled visitors" that make our area look bad - probably a long time resident with a bone to pick (obviously) and - let me be the first to point out to you - there are fewer and fewer of them as more level headed people transplant here and seek out and band together with the level headed long time residents and together are transforming this area into an incredible destination for full timers, part timers and visitors. We are sorry that incident happened. Give us another chance.

[scooterbug44]

People need to get some perspective on the noise ordinance and what being a good neighbor means - a wedding on a holiday weekend night that plans its band's schedule to cut off all noise by 10 pm should not be getting harassed by the police.

Absolute silence 24/7 is not a realistic expectation in most areas of the globe, let alone in an active and social community.

[joebob]

Jim --- did you forget to take your meds again today ---methinks you need to lighten up a wee bit bro ----- wish I could have been at the wedding party ---- call me when ya'll renew the vows in 5 years Bloomie----JE

[Jychf]

Seriously Jim. Protect and Serve, not intimidate and threaten.

[AAbsolute]

A wedding party with 40 witnessess in a well to do area chaperoned and represented by a retired NYFD. It's not a stretch to guess what the Sherriff's Officers are doing to those who don't appear able to assert their Civil Rights.

Local's are routinely abused by LEO's. Not all, but there are LEO's who turn a blind eye to abuses every day.

I want to hear from a Walton County LEO who can say they know nothing of abuses of any other officers.

[northender]

Seems like this particular officer might enjoy busting the meth heads north of the bay.

you mean to tell me there are no meth heads south of the bay, or are you saying everyone north of the bay are meth heads?

[sunspotbaby]

A wedding party with 40 witnessess in a well to do area chaperoned and represented by a retired NYFD. It's not a stretch to guess what the Sherriff's Officers are doing to those who don't appear able to assert their Civil Rights.

Local's are routinely abused by LEO's. Not all, but there are LEO's who turn a blind eye to abuses every day.

I want to hear from a Walton County LEO who can say they know nothing of abuses of any other officers.

Very, very true...:bang:

[truluv]

Me thinks methheads are everywhere, but not so many at Grayton Beach.

[AAbsolute]

Very, very true...:bang:

Did you notice that no one from law enforcement came forward to deny the claim?

[ShallowsNole]

I'm not exactly from law enforcement, but I have written no fewer than five replies but deleted them before I hit "send." Not worth it.

Nobody denies we have a number of rookies who need some human relations training. But two things that keep surfacing in this thread really bother me.

(1) The assumption that this occurred on a HOLIDAY weekend. Name me one person who lives in Grayton Beach that was off for Columbus Day. I don't remember if the post office was closed, but it was not a holiday for state and local government employees, and school was open.

(2) 30-A is NOT an easy assignment with well-mannered people. For proof, look in the political threads.

(3) I'll add a third. You'd be surprised at the meth heads and crackheads in Grayton, and who they are.

(4) Now I'm on a roll...the incident was reported to the officer's supervisor. Nothing was ruined. That should be the end of the story.

P.S. My football team just choked. I am not responsible for what I say or do right now.

[greenroomsurfer]

I'm not exactly from law enforcement, but I have written no fewer than five replies but deleted them before I hit "send." Not worth it.

Nobody denies we have a number of rookies who need some human relations training. But two things that keep surfacing in this thread really bother me.

(1) The assumption that this occurred on a HOLIDAY weekend. Name me one person who lives in Grayton Beach that was off for Columbus Day. I don't remember if the post office was closed, but it was not a holiday for state and local government employees, and school was open.

(2) 30-A is NOT an easy assignment with well-mannered people. For proof, look in the political threads.

(3) I'll add a third. You'd be surprised at the meth heads and crackheads in Grayton, and who they are.

(4) Now I'm on a roll...the incident was reported to the officer's supervisor. Nothing was ruined. That should be the end of the story.

P.S. My football team just choked. I am not responsible for what I say or do right now.
Help Help, I've been choked and assaulted by Georgia Tech..... I gonna Pul for Cal from now on. I to am not responsible for my Mouth spewing out big chunks of stupidity!:lolabove::wub::welcome::wave::bang:;-) I surrender!!!!

[NightAngel]

I'm not exactly from law enforcement, but I have written no fewer than five replies but deleted them before I hit "send." Not worth it.

Nobody denies we have a number of rookies who need some human relations training. But two things that keep surfacing in this thread really bother me.

(1) The assumption that this occurred on a HOLIDAY weekend. Name me one person who lives in Grayton Beach that was off for Columbus Day. I don't remember if the post office was closed, but it was not a holiday for state and local government employees, and school was open.

(2) 30-A is NOT an easy assignment with well-mannered people. For proof, look in the political threads.

(3) I'll add a third. You'd be surprised at the meth heads and crackheads in Grayton, and who they are.

(4) Now I'm on a roll...the incident was reported to the officer's supervisor. Nothing was ruined. That should be the end of the story.

P.S. My football team just choked. I am not responsible for what I say or do right now.
'



Why should that be the end of the story? The jerk almost ruined someones well thought out wedding and bullied a new groom and the brides father for no reason at all. The officer should be reprimanded in the least. The cops have taken over Santa Rosa Beach in the last couple of years, I cannot pull out of my driveway without one on my ass. There are too many cops here and now they are trying to unionize to get past the cut backs??? I am sorry, I have lived here all of my life and I am sick seeing what this area has become.

[bchmamas_fav]

Erm. ... ?

I am sorry your party got screwed over singlehandedly by one of Walton County's finest. ... but. Don't judge those of us on 30A by our Sheriffs or Sheriffs Deputies.

I have not heard of one person that truly relies on any one of our cops down here, and I am pretty sure that most of us despise them.

But again. 30A is a wonderful place and if an unruly cop is going to ruin it for you, then I am sorry. I would highly recommend buying in Grayton because it is after all one of the least tainted of all of the small little communities here on he coast, no offense to Seaside or Watercolor, or any of our friends to the West, but we are not near as uptight or overly ostentacious. We are a very down to earth group of people that care about the people in our community. I think I can personally name all of the full time residents here and most of the owners of all the rental houses.

I actually saw ya'lls reception/party/what have you, and it looked like a blast. I live in Grayton, and I am pretty sure that I remember it. Did Dread Clampitt play? Was it catered? ... I could swear I remember this wedding. I am glad that ya'll had a good time minus the cop. Please come back soon. :)

[ShallowsNole]

Gee, there used to be complaints about response time. Now there are too many. This is a hoot. :floor:

[bloomcreatives]

I actually saw ya'lls reception/party/what have you, and it looked like a blast. I live in Grayton, and I am pretty sure that I remember it. Did Dread Clampitt play? Was it catered? ... I could swear I remember this wedding. I am glad that ya'll had a good time minus the cop. Please come back soon. :)

Dikki DU and the Zydeco Krewe played, and they were AMAZING! Calvin from the Red Bar catered our dinner, and all the adult beverages were from Jambone. Alison Hand officiated. The party was at Tuckered Out. Every single one of these guys did a fantastic job, including the owner of the house, and I would highly recommend them all to anyone planning any kind of event - just make sure it doesn't go past 7 PM, and have it in your soundproofed basement. :bang:

Don't y'all worry - I visit several times a year to see my family, so I will definitely be back. We are still planing to buy a place down there. No one was more shocked than I by this incident, because it was so out of place compared to the laid-back vibe I have always experienced. I wanted to let you know about it because I know that the noise ordinance and the police situation are two very hot button issues right now.

[scooterbug44]

I have not heard of one person that truly relies on any one of our cops down here, and I am pretty sure that most of us despise them.


I do :wave: - and have never dealt with a rude officer - on many occasions when I am in the right AND when I am in the wrong!

[sand flea]

bloomcreatives, could you foward those photos to me please? Maybe he's the one that gave me a ticket for rolling through a stop sign in grayton a while back.
I think I may have upset him when I asked his age. By the way, what was your wedding date? Ithink I got the ticket on a sunday afternoon. Sorry???

[Groovegirls]

Hello SoWal-ers,
I am a frequent visitor to your gorgeous towns. The majority of my immediately family lives in Santa Rosa Beach, and has going back over a decade. We have many ties to the area, personally and professionally. I knew as soon as I became engaged that my fiancé and I would marry on Grayton Beach.

We chose to have our ceremony on the beach and the evening reception at one of the two beach houses we had rented for the occasion. My brother, who has lived in Santa Rosa Beach for over 11 years, arranged for Dikki Du and the Zydeco Kru to play at the reception, knowing that since the party started at 6:00 and the noise ordinance doesn’t go into effect until 10:00 we would have four hours to enjoy some great music.

The wedding was on Sunday, October 12 - Columbus Day weekend, and coincidentally the same day as the musician’s march, which we fully supported. We had a small wedding, with only 40 guests.

At 9:20 PM - a full 40 minutes before the noise ordinance goes into effect - a police cruiser pulled up. Without getting out of the vehicle, the cop - who looked like he wasn’t even 21 years old - demanded to talk to the person in charge. My new husband approached the car and the officer yelled “Cops”-style, “You have one minute to shut this thing down or you’re getting arrested.”

To which my husband replied, “Sir, would you mind stepping out of the car so we can discuss this like adults?” (He really said it like that; he’s British and you know how unfailingly polite those Limeys are.)

The cop pounced out of the cruiser, grabbed his handcuffs and tried to drag my husband around the back of the car to handcuff him.

Read that again.

This South Walton Sheriff’s Deputy was going to arrest my husband for asking him to have a conversation. At his own wedding.

When the rest of the family saw this happening a huge “WTF” rose from the crowd, and the officer wisely physically let go of my husband. My father approached to try to diffuse the situation, and the officer was even more aggressive with him. He demanded that the party be shut down, despite the fact that he admitted he had not received a noise complaint, and despite the fact that it was still 40 minutes before the ordinance took effect.

He then threatened to arrest my father for non-compliance. My 67-year-old father. My 67-year-old, retired FDNY, Santa Rosa Beach property-owning father.

Now, my father is a reasonable man. At his age, all he wants to do is spend his days fishing and having a couple beers while watching the sun set over the Gulf with his buddies, and seeing his children have happy days that are not at the expense of other people’s comfort or running afoul of the law.

But this cop threatened the groom, and the bride’s father, with arrest - not for committing any crime (because they hadn’t), but because they had the nerve to stand up for their rights and correct the officer’s mistaken view of the situation.

Eventually the cop figured out that this was not a battle he was going to win and drove off. My brother immediately got on the horn with the Sheriff’s office to lodge a complaint. The band came back to enjoy some drinks with us, and the guitarist treated us to another hour and a half’s worth of solo work. We played tunes off my iPod after that. The party went on until 3 in the morning - and most of the wonderful residents on Defuniak Street joined in the fun at some point during the night.

My father went down to the Sheriff’s office in Grayton the next day to raise a stink, and the guy he spoke with - was extremely apologetic. He said they have had complaints about that officer before and that he was definitely in the wrong. That’s nice and all, but that apology doesn’t take away what happened.

40 of us spent ten days in Grayton. We rented two beach houses on Defuniak Street and pumped a hell of a lot of money into the town’s coffers during that time - every meal was eaten in a locally-owned restaurant, every drink was drank at Red Bar or Jambone, local liquor stores, grocery stores, party supply rentals... hell, I even walked the beach every single night filling in the damn holes dug by children we didn't know so the sea turtles wouldn’t fall in and die. My husband and I are considering buying a place down there because we love the area so much, but almost reconsidered because of the treatment we received. Needless to say we were relieved to hear of the complete overhaul the Sheriff’s department is about to get.

I understand that this noise ordinance is a touchy issue, as demonstrated by the unfortunate events at the Salty Dog. But for crying out loud, we bent over backwards to make sure that we were within the law - let all the neighbors know what was going on, scheduled within the time frame, etc. - and we still were treated like we were raping and pillaging the town.

I hope this issue is figured out soon, because it is absolutely ruining an otherwise idyllic place.

PS - I have a photo of all of this going down is anyone's interested...


I am so sorry to hear this. Many of us locals are unhappy with the current situation but I have to say that the majority of the local cops are pretty good people. Thank you for sharing your story. It helps us demonstrate how reasonable music SHOULD benefit our community!:bang:

[sowalgayboi]

Me thinks methheads are everywhere, but not so many at Grayton Beach.

There's plenty of heads in Grayton Beach, more of the natural herb variety.