What is Leave No Trace?
Leave No Trace is an international program that guides outdoor enthusiasts in their decisions to reduce their impacts while enjoying recreational activities.

What is Beach Ordinance No. 2003-07G?
Over the last three years, Walton County has made progress in promoting and enforcing beach ordinance No. 2003-07G, which states personal items including beach chairs, umbrellas, tents and other personal items left on the beach and around public beach accesses overnight (from one hour after dusk to one hour after sunrise) will be removed, unless otherwise permitted.

Why did Walton County enact this ordinance?
The beach ordinance was enacted due to the need for emergency vehicles to navigate the beach more safely and to protect wildlife such as nesting sea turtles (May - November). The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are mandating to coastal counties that obstacles on the beach at night should be prohibited. This is in effect at other Florida beaches and is being more strictly enforced because of the large decline of turtle nests being recorded.

What is the Walton County Tourist Development Council’s (TDC) role in the program?
The TDC has been tasked by the Board of County Commissioners for marketing and educating visitors and residents of the ordinance and Leave No Trace campaign. The TDC is implementing a beach ambassador program, providing direct contact with beachgoers. There will be a TDC staff beach ambassador on the beach to interact with beachgoers from 6:00 am – 2 pm, from spring break through turtle nesting season to provide information on topics including Leave No Trace, beach rules and beach safety.

What is Code Enforcement’s role in the program?
Code Enforcement will enforce the ordinance. Code Enforcement officers will tag items left on the beach overnight, giving owners and beach vendors 24 hours to remove abandoned items. If items are not removed, Code Enforcement will remove the abandoned items and store them at the TDC Central Maintenance Facility for 48 hours before disposing of the items.

How does the owner of an abandoned item get it back?
Abandoned items may be retrieved between the hours of 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday – Thursday and 9:00 a.m. – Noon on Friday at the TDC Central Maintenance Facility located at 924 CR 83.Owners will be asked to provide a photo ID and sign an affidavit confirming that they are the owner of the property.

Can you get a permit for kayaks, larger items and permanent structures to be left at the toe of the dune? Yes. Code Enforcement issues permits Monday through Thursday for permissible items. Contact Code Enforcement at 850-622-0000 for an application. Code enforcement makes all determinations regarding permits.

When does this new procedure go into effect?
The new procedure was approved by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners on June 30. The County is currently focused on education and voluntary compliance. Once personnel is trained and tags are printed, Code Enforcement will begin full enforcement of the ordinance, including tagging and removal of abandoned items.

If you have additional questions, please call Code Enforcement at 850-622-0000.

About time.

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Anthony

its about time! but, shouldnt we ask our rental firms to include this in their rental docs and even ask them to notify each renter when they arrive? this notion that we'll store all these items is simply foolish. its just asking for trouble. people cant even read the signs in grayton saying permits only. it should be a snooze you lose program-period. expanding government to satisfy those who dont obide by the rules makes no sense. but, thats what america is all about these days...

We're only storing them for 48 hours, then buh-bye! I vote they go to the "free" beach store as suggested in another thread.

Can anyone tell me how many hours and how much money was wasted before they decided to adopt a phrase/philosophy I was taught DECADES ago to make people pick up after themselves?

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"Chemicals should not be innocent until proven guilty."

Leave only your footprints folks... Mother Nature will provide a world of entertainment if you simply pay attention.

Bravo! We have vented, weighed in and been heard. Let's do what we can to support this!

Thank you TDC!

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Great to be heard! This should be required to be posted on every refrigerator of every rental property in SoWal!

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www.lifeonshore.com
www.beachpropertiesofflorida.com
www.bobbyjblog.com

I cant speak for all of the owners but I can assure you that Jon and Reba Myer posts the rules and also includes them in their rental agreement. We stay at their property in Seagrove at the Sugar Dunes. They list it in 2 places on the rental agreement.

In addition to all the good ideas, I think we should have a plane flying over with a banner that says:

"Leave only Footprints--take only pictures"

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"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." — Wendell Berry

Dont let the WCTA find out.

Oh but they will - they are very good at what they do.
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Not a bad idea. Maybe we could get Alex Sink to attach it to the back of her plane and she could divert to Pensacola once a week.

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All kidding aside-
perhaps some funds could be used to fly a banner on the beach. I couldn't imagine it being cost prohibited if businesses can afford to advertise cheap drinks and beach gear using this medium...

How's about-

"Illegal 2 leave tents/stuff on public beaches overnight".

Since most tourists couldn't tell you what's private and what's not they would likely assume it's all public.

Thoughts???

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good thought. I'll ask her

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"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." — Wendell Berry

Who said I was kidding? I am very serious. That message is printed in wilderness areas and pristine parks all over the country...http://travel-babel.blogspot.com/200...ers-plead.html
no reason we could not have some businesses pitch in...after all, they benefit from all the tourism bed tax dollars...why not have a "public-private" partnership--the Chamber is gung-ho about the new airport, why not gung-ho about clean beaches? I think some, perhaps many, business people who care about our beaches might be willing to contribute to something like that--they could put their business logo on the banner too--things like this are done all over the place; it just takes someone to be willing to try something different.

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"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." — Wendell Berry

Why not? I think the WCTA is a good organization...they are ferreting out things that need some light shown on them.

but, I never said I was expecting taxpayer money to be used to pay for it.!

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"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." — Wendell Berry

I think they have a few bored board members, which is good for a watchdog group.

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I still haven't figured out how to get these to drop in full size. Kurt, help. Click on the photo to see it larger. I will drop in a half dozen other photos taken from White Cliffs to Ed Walline this morning. The photo above is Blue Lupine just East of the Retreat. This is the worst stretch of beach I have ever seen and it is like this nearly any day of the week. I can't help but believe someone is actively telling the guests here that they can leave their stuff out all night. This photo was taken just after 6AM this morning. Nice blue tent huh.

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Anthony