Items on the beach overnight

[BeachSiO2]

I know many don't see the Beach Breeze/Defuniak Herald so I thought I would post this article from July 12th that I found interesting. It looks like we will have more fireworks in addition to handcuffs on the beach. By the way, note that this will affect private individuals and vendors so let the funn begin..

Items left on beach to be removed

By DOTTY NIST

"Remove it or lose it," is now the rule in the evening on Walton County beaches.
To alleviate what has been identified as "a severe problem," Walton County has initiated a coordinated approach to have beaches clear of clutter in the evenings. The clutter of chairs, awnings, umbrellas, and other items on the beach has long been a complaint of South Walton Turtle Watch volunteers.
Federally-protected native sea turtles come onto the beach during their spring and fall nesting season, and their reproduction can be hampered by obstacles left on the beach in the evening. Human beachgoers can also run into or trip over these obstacles as they walk on the beach at night.
On June 28, Pat Blackshear, county planning and development services director, announced a cooperative effort between the county, the tourism council, and the sheriff's office to address the problem.
Blackshear explained that items left on the beach would be tagged and then removed after 24 hours if not taken off the beach by their owners. The policy applies both to private individuals and beach vendors, who are being notified by mail.
Walton County Sheriff's Office and Walton County Code Enforcement personnel will share patrol and tagging duties. South Walton Tourist Development Council (TDC) personnel will pick up tagged items once the 24-hour period has elapsed, and owners will forfeit items that are picked up.
TDC Executive Director Kriss Titus commented that, while Walton County's beaches have been honored by the Clean Beaches Council, she believes that the TDC has not been getting the message out about the importance of an uncluttered beach.
She said the TDC plans a "remove it or lose it" marketing campaign and will post information on its web page urging visitors to comply.

[Smiling JOe]

Like the Sheriff's Office and Code Enforcement have the (wo)manpower to do that job. They don't even direct traffic, much less fine illegal vehicles on the beach. Does Pat Blackshear go to the beach? Has she seen the lines of tents and cheap crap on the beaches, every day? I don't think so.

[BeachSiO2]

Like the Sheriff's Office and Code Enforcement have the (wo)manpower to do that job. They don't even direct traffic, much less fine illegal vehicles on the beach. Does Pat Blackshear go to the beach? Has she seen the lines of tents and cheap crap on the beaches, every day? I don't think so.

I am slightly confused by your comments . Is it that they are coming to the problem at the eleventh hour in a less than ideal manner? For the sake of optimism, how about throwing out a bone saying something along the lines of, "finally, they are trying something and good luck." Instead of coming out guns blazing with such negativity. This just seemed extremely pessimistic considering I know how much you (and others) have wanted to see this done for a while.

IMO, it gets back to spending time enforcing laws on the books and not creating new laws. As far as who's doing it, the cops and code enforcement are the only ones that can enforce the laws. How about a little optimism "smiling" joe?

I for one say, "good luck to all involved!"

[30A Skunkape]

What is the law regarding people taking stuff they find on the beach? I have seen some mighty fine equipment left out as the sun sets-is it considered abandoned and a 'finders keepers' rule takes effect?

[BeachSiO2]

What is the law regarding people taking stuff they find on the beach? I have seen some mighty fine equipment left out as the sun sets-is it considered abandoned and a 'finders keepers' rule takes effect?

IMO, If it is abandoned at a publically owned beach access area like Grayton, I don't see why it would be any different then being left at any other public park and thus free game. For some reason, the people that go to the beach around here are too nice

[Beach Runner]

Every summer after the summer rental season ends, I gather up all of the stuff that has been abandoned at our private walkover, toss the broken stuff, and confiscate the good stuff. It's allowed me to provide beach chairs and beach toys for our renters so they don't have to add to the pollution by buying more stuff at Publix. I also do this in the off-season; if something is on the beach that was there on a previous visit, I remove it from the beach.

I was tempted to clean up the beach this week because of the unbelievable mess but was afraid I'd throw away something that belonged to a current renter.

[Smiling JOe]

IMO, If it is abandoned at a publically owned beach access area like Grayton, I don't see why it would be any different then being left at any other public park and thus free game. For some reason, the people that go to the beach around here are too nice

That might be stretching it. What if I set up my two beach chairs, sat in them for a few hours, and decided to take an hour long walk down the beach and back, and I had planned to stay even later to watch the stars, yet when I come back, my chairs were taken. Does going for a walk or swim, constitute abandonment, like it does at The Retreat?

[InletBchDweller]

you know I do need some new chairs and umbrellas....so is this stealing??? or just cleaning up the area????

What is the law regarding people aking stuff they find on the beach? I have seen some mighty fine equipment left out as the sun sets-is it considered abandoned and a 'finders keepers' rule takes effect?

[Beachmom]

Good ???? Just left Grayton, saw everything from toddler shoes to very nice tents set up.... Sure could use one of those for W. Indies Market!!!!!

[Smiling JOe]

Good luck.
When reporting potential violations of environmental threats from people with track hoes, who can destroy a huge piece of property within hours, the Code Enforcement will typically arrive on the scene the following day. I have been for getting this crap off the beach for a long time, but if the Code Enforcement is so understaffed that they cannot even handle the seriously potential damaging acts, there is no way in heck that they, or our understaffed SO will be tagging and removing the thousands, yes thousands of pieces of crap from the beach.

Let's say that Pat's idea of tagging items, then removing them after 24 hours, goes through. Is the SO or CE going to recall which Walmart chair or umbrella or tent they tagged, so that they can then proceed to remove the items? Do you seriously think that the tent owner will not remove the tag?

Good luck.

I think it would be a cheaper alternative to pay a few people to clear the beach at dawn every day, and allow the collectors to keep and sell the crap which they collect. It wouldn't be tying up the Sheriff's deputies and the Code Enforcement from conducting important business like hauling beach goers to jail for sitting quietly on the beach.

I am slightly confused by your comments . Is it that they are coming to the problem at the eleventh hour in a less than ideal manner? For the sake of optimism, how about throwing out a bone saying something along the lines of, "finally, they are trying something and good luck." Instead of coming out guns blazing with such negativity. This just seemed extremely pessimistic considering I know how much you (and others) have wanted to see this done for a while.

IMO, it gets back to spending time enforcing laws on the books and not creating new laws. As far as who's doing it, the cops and code enforcement are the only ones that can enforce the laws. How about a little optimism "smiling" joe?

I for one say, "good luck to all involved!"

[BeachSiO2]

Good luck.
When reporting potential violations of environmental threats from people with track hoes, who can destroy a huge piece of property within hours, the Code Enforcement will typically arrive on the scene the following day. I have been for getting this crap off the beach for a long time, but if the Code Enforcement is so understaffed that they cannot even handle the seriously potential damaging acts, there is no way in heck that they, or our understaffed SO will be tagging and removing the thousands, yes thousands of pieces of crap from the beach.

Let's say that Pat's idea of tagging items, then removing them after 24 hours, goes through. Is the SO or CE going to recall which Walmart chair or umbrella or tent they tagged, so that they can then proceed to remove the items? Do you seriously think that the tent owner will not remove the tag?

Good luck.

I think it would be a cheaper alternative to pay a few people to clear the beach at dawn every day, and allow the collectors to keep and sell the crap which they collect. It wouldn't be tying up the Sheriff's deputies and the Code Enforcement from conducting important business like hauling beach goers to jail for sitting quietly on the beach.

Now, that's the Smiling Joe we know and love. Realism with a slight touch of positive reinforcement.

I know its going to be a long road to work it all out too but at least they are putting a plan in place. Maybe Kurt is right that at least with consistent enforcement at random stretches will work.

[scooterbug44]

I think it would be a cheaper alternative to pay a few people to clear the beach at dawn every day, and allow the collectors to keep and sell the crap which they collect. It wouldn't be tying up the Sheriff's deputies and the Code Enforcement from conducting important business like hauling beach goers to jail for sitting quietly on the beach.[/B]

I thought someone used to be paid by the county/tdc/etc to pick up random stuff and would then sell it near Collaborations?

I had a lovely day at the beach saturday - no "privateers" in sight, but lots of excess floats, tents that stayed unoccupied all day, and cigarette butts!

Love to see some of those TDC $ going to general beach cleanup!

[ozbeachmom]

What ever happened to bringing a beach towel,sunscreen and a drink? We go to the beach to play in the water not set up a small apartment! When we get out, we can sit down on the towels and enjoy the beach, no need for all of that other stuff.

People have become self centered and not respectful of what Mother Nature and the Big Guy has provided us.

[surfdog]

Like the Sheriff's Office and Code Enforcement have the (wo)manpower to do that job. They don't even direct traffic, much less fine illegal vehicles on the beach. Does Pat Blackshear go to the beach? Has she seen the lines of tents and cheap crap on the beaches, every day? I don't think so.

joe i usally just browse around here and keep to myself., i think you have a good grasp on beachgoings, and i for the most part agree with many of your posts. with that said, i can assure you pat blackshear goes to the beach. i can assure you she sees the mess on the beach, .. hell, her husband has been surfin the outside at 83 for longer than many posting here have owned a board. with that said, i hope everyone gives her and everyone involved a chance. its a learnin experience, and it wasnt long ago that we didnt have this on our hands,..now we do and we , as a community have to work together to get it under control. tho it has changed over the years, we all adore this place we call home,.. let us work together and hopefully things will fall into place. just some insight said in peace, see ya in the swell, joe, thanks for the consideration.

[Beach Runner]

joe i usally just browse around here and keep to myself., i think you have a good grasp on beachgoings, and i for the most part agree with many of your posts. with that said, i can assure you pat blackshear goes to the beach. i can assure you she sees the mess on the beach, .. hell, her husband has been surfin the outside at 83 for longer than many posting here have owned a board. with that said, i hope everyone gives her and everyone involved a chance. its a learnin experience, and it wasnt long ago that we didnt have this on our hands,..now we do and we , as a community have to work together to get it under control. tho it has changed over the years, we all adore this place we call home,.. let us work together and hopefully things will fall into place. just some insight said in peace, see ya in the swell, joe, thanks for the consideration.

I have seen Ms. Blackshear in action at planning commission meetings. From what I've seen, she and her staff are knowledgeable and conscientious regarding maintaining the integrity and aesthetics of South Walton County as we once knew it. I'm not gonna lie, in one of the meetings I observed her, she was absolutely awesome. It was clear to me that she and her staff know the area, building by building.

It saddened be to see her disparaged on a previous post.

[dunelover]

Just an fyi in regards to this. While at Dunes of Seagrove the trend over a period of days was to leave things under the walkover, not overnight, just during the day (during the needed afternoon naps)....Apparently, some owners were ticked that it was not a pretty sight and without warning all the stuff was dumped, some was taken to the maintenance office......So, my point.....Don't trust that your stuff is even safe during the day, move it or lose it!

[Miss Kitty]

If this is true, they might start over at the area shown on the www.bluemountainvillas.com website. Everytime I check it out early in the morning, there are chairs, umbrellas and TENTS that have obviously been left there overnight.

[seacrestkristi]

that sheeet is hazardous and U-G-L-Y
Mother Nature needs to look like nature not umbrella frames everywhere

[Bluznbeach]

Amen, Kristi. It's unfortunate, but some people act like a public beach is their own private sandbox and just leave their stuff all over the place. This is not only bad for the turtles but is just discourteous to the humans.

[kurt]

I had heard some tents were cleared in Dune Allen and folks who left them out were not happy about it.

Daily, countywide enforcement isn't necessary, just enforcement along random stretches on a consistent basis. After a couple of seasons the word will get out.

Vendors could be enlisted to leave tags and provide info to authorities. They would probably be happy to do it since items left on the beach infringe and impeded their business.

[Smiling JOe]

Just an fyi in regards to this. While at Dunes of Seagrove the trend over a period of days was to leave things under the walkover, not overnight, just during the day (during the needed afternoon naps)....Apparently, some owners were ticked that it was not a pretty sight and without warning all the stuff was dumped, some was taken to the maintenance office......So, my point.....Don't trust that your stuff is even safe during the day, move it or lose it!

If the stuff was next to a TDC trashcan, the garbage people will remove it, thinking it is trash. Often the TDC trashcans are beside the walkover entrances on the beach.

[dunelover]

If the stuff was next to a TDC trashcan, the garbage people will remove it, thinking it is trash. Often the TDC trashcans are beside the walkover entrances on the beach.

Yes, it was near a trashcan---thanks for the tip.....

[Andy A]

If the stuff was next to a TDC trashcan, the garbage people will remove it, thinking it is trash. Often the TDC trashcans are beside the walkover entrances on the beach.

This morning my wife and I were sitting on our walkover and the TDC garbage man came by. There was a tent frame next to the TDC trash container and he took big cable cutters and cut it up and loaded it into his vehicle. It obviously was in the wrong place, in his opinion. GOOD FOR HIM! The TDC does a great job of cleaning the beach for what they have to work with.(Oh, I ended the sentence with a preposition. The language usage patrol will get after me.)

[MommieBunnie]

So what's up? Is it going to be a junk heap up at the beach at Summer's Edge and we will we be sorry that this is where we have chosen to stay this coming week? I was pretty disheartened to read all this! i know SOWal covers a lot of sand so maybe this isn't where the problem is but you can see how a first time renter might be a little concerned. We usually rent in Seaside - last year we were at Watersound but had heard so many things about the houses at SUmmer's edge and wanted to be right on the beach so we chose a place there. We had hoped to come find a beach chair rental co and have them put up 6 chairs and 3 umbrellas daily...then we had hoped to use them, go up to the house and cool off or have lunch, nap, snack etc and discover that the umbrellas are still there at least a decent portion of the day. Will one of us need to stand guard all day over the cooler or any other possession we might leave there or drag them back to the house everytime we go in??? Please tell me I am worrying needlessly....Thanks..

[John R]

you're worrying needlessly. your rental stuff will not be interfered with.

[Smiling JOe]

Mommiebunnie, I doubt you will have any problem leaving your chairs and umbrellas on the beach during the daytime. Please be aware that storms blow in quickly around here, so if you leave the beach for lunch, or a long stroll, secure your items so the floats, umbrellas, toys, etc aren't blowing into around, and make sure that your chairs won't be swept out to sea.

[30A Skunkape]

So what's up? Is it going to be a junk heap up at the beach at Summer's Edge and we will we be sorry that this is where we have chosen to stay this coming week? I was pretty disheartened to read all this! i know SOWal covers a lot of sand so maybe this isn't where the problem is but you can see how a first time renter might be a little concerned. We usually rent in Seaside - last year we were at Watersound but had heard so many things about the houses at SUmmer's edge and wanted to be right on the beach so we chose a place there. We had hoped to come find a beach chair rental co and have them put up 6 chairs and 3 umbrellas daily...then we had hoped to use them, go up to the house and cool off or have lunch, nap, snack etc and discover that the umbrellas are still there at least a decent portion of the day. Will one of us need to stand guard all day over the cooler or any other possession we might leave there or drag them back to the house everytime we go in??? Please tell me I am worrying needlessly....Thanks..

You are worrying needlessly. Nobody cares about your stuff being on the beach during the day, as long as it is occupied more than vacant, and it does not resemble the camp of the Israelites during the Exodus. I think people care about daytime sprawl and abandoned junk at night, and that is it. Have fun in SOWAL!

[seaside2]

You are right scooterbug. Politicians are ultimately the place where bad decisions are made. It is all about votes and $ to them. While our system is not perfect, it appears to be the best thing going on this globe.

What frustrates all of us is the very difficult time we have with doing the "right thing" for all concerned. What is the "right thing" and who are the "all concerned"?

If I had a good answer, I would probably state it.

[NotDeadYet]

Every home visible from the water is supposed to go through the DEP to get its light fixtures and lamp wattage approved.

This only applies to new construction and substantial rebuilds. As to the rest, there is no lighting ordinance in Walton County. An ordinance has come before the commissioners several times but failed to pass.

[seacrestkristi]

MommieBunnie You'll have a grayt time! No worries.
Keep up the good work, Skunky ....big winds and waves do happen at night

[TNJed]

So what's up? Is it going to be a junk heap up at the beach at Summer's Edge and we will we be sorry that this is where we have chosen to stay this coming week? I was pretty disheartened to read all this! i know SOWal covers a lot of sand so maybe this isn't where the problem is but you can see how a first time renter might be a little concerned. We usually rent in Seaside - last year we were at Watersound but had heard so many things about the houses at SUmmer's edge and wanted to be right on the beach so we chose a place there. We had hoped to come find a beach chair rental co and have them put up 6 chairs and 3 umbrellas daily...then we had hoped to use them, go up to the house and cool off or have lunch, nap, snack etc and discover that the umbrellas are still there at least a decent portion of the day. Will one of us need to stand guard all day over the cooler or any other possession we might leave there or drag them back to the house everytime we go in??? Please tell me I am worrying needlessly....Thanks..

No worries about Summer's Edge. I live and work on that beach and I can say it's a good trouble free area. As it stands right now, items are still left overnight here. And ordinance enforcement or not, leaving your items unoccupied during the day is not a problem.

I'll be more than happy to help you with your 3x6 set up when you arrive!

850-200-3595
The Beach Chair Company

[seacrestkristi]

Does Summer's Edge not care about the turtles

Are they just too lazy to carry it in? Or are they just more 'special' than everyone else?

[scooterbug44]

Can't just single out Summer's Edge, there are FAR too many violators who know the rules!

Simple rule - get your stuff off the beach at sunset!

I am constantly amazed at how people can't comprehend or follow basic rules!

All of my guests (friends & family, not renters) know there's no glass on the beach and managed to understand the flag system. Not littering or leaving stuff on the beach was an unnecessary thing to tell them as they actually care about the environment. There are friends of mine who know the flag system because I showed them a jpeg of the sign to demonstrate its simplicity and they have never even been to Florida!

[seacrestkristi]

Well, what are the names of the other 'special' communities that openly admit leaving their stuff out at night?
Maybe if they got called out by name they would suddenly remember about the endangered sea turtles. Funny in a kinda way what motivates folks.

[NotDeadYet]

WALTON COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (TDC) ANNOUNCES "REMOVE IT OR
LOSE IT" CAMPAIGN

WALTON COUNTY, Fla.-July 17, 2007 - The Beaches of South Walton Tourist
Development Council (TDC) is announcing the "Remove it or Lose it"
campaign to help the Sheriffs Department and Code Enforcement enforce
the Walton County Ordinance 2003-07g. The "Remove it or Lose it"
campaign will assist in educating the public on the ordinance to ensure
a smooth transition for beachgoers. Enforcement of the ordinance will
go into effect on July 23, 2007.
Walton County ordinance 2003-07G states: it shall be unlawful for beach
chairs, umbrellas, tents and other such personal articles to be on the
beach in such a manner that they interfere with beach maintenance,
nesting turtles, or emergency vehicles.

"Due to the sheer volume of beachgoers leaving personal items on
the beach, the county was forced to address this public safety and
environmental concern," explained Kriss Titus, executive director of the
TDC. "As the organization charged with marketing the destination and
maintaining the county's 26-miles of beaches, it was natural for the TDC
to spearhead the 'Remove It or Lose It' campaign and for our beach crews
to remove abandoned items."

The enforcement of the new ordinance will protect the public and
nesting sea turtles. Personal articles left on the beach overnight
during sea turtle nesting season have resulted in significant numbers of
abandoned nesting attempts. In addition, personal belongings left on the
beach are hindering beach maintenance crews from adequately cleaning the
beach and interfering with emergency vehicle access. There have also
been reports of injuries to beachgoers who encounter these items while
walking the beach after dark.

The intent of the ordinance is not to remove personal belongings
under private boardwalks, but rather to ensure all items are removed
from the middle of the beach. The ordinance applies to all areas
falling within the definition of "beach," regardless of whether such
areas are located on public or private property. Articles that are
stored adjacent to or underneath personal walkovers will not be removed
unless there is TDC maintained trash receptacle at that location. Any
personal items left near county walkovers or adjacent to any of the 400
trash receptacles maintained by the Beaches of South Walton Tourist
Development Council (TDC) will be removed without being tagged.

The Walton County Sheriffs Department, TDC beach maintenance
staff, Code Enforcement, and the Walton County beach activities
coordinator will all aid in the implementation of "Remove it or Lose
it." The Walton County Sheriffs Department will tag items on the beach
giving owners and beach vendors 24 hours to remove the items from the
beach. The tag will have a date, time, and description of the item
observed on the beach. Items left near county walkovers and TDC
maintained beach receptacles will be removed without being tagged. The
TDC beach maintenance staff will remove all items that have remained
past the 24-hour notice. The ordinance as written applies to all areas
falling within the definition of "beach," regardless of whether such
areas are located on public or private property. However, articles that
are stored adjacent to or underneath personal walkovers will not be
removed. For more information, contact Code Enforcement at (850)
622-0000.

###

Tracy Louthain, APR
Director of Public Relations & Visitor Services
Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council
P.O. Box 1248
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 USA
Phone: 850-267-1216 ext. 122

[scooterbug44]

WALTON COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (TDC) ANNOUNCES "REMOVE IT OR
LOSE IT" CAMPAIGN

Great! Hope it puts a big dent in the problem or solves it!

[vancedonna]

This is my very first post, so be gentle with me
While I think keeping these beaches as beautiful as the man upstairs made them is everyones job, is this not going to get out of hand like the "beach owners" calling the sheriff to haul off someone they perceive as tresspassing???
I cherish every minute I can at the beach. Many mornings I get up and enjoy my coffee and watch the sunrise. Then it is off on a long, long walk.
When I return from my walk, will the chair I brought down at 6 a.m. be carted off by someone who believes it has "been there all night" ?

[BeachSiO2]

This is my very first post, so be gentle with me
While I think keeping these beaches as beautiful as the man upstairs made them is everyones job, is this not going to get out of hand like the "beach owners" calling the sheriff to haul off someone they perceive as tresspassing???
I cherish every minute I can at the beach. Many mornings I get up and enjoy my coffee and watch the sunrise. Then it is off on a long, long walk.
When I return from my walk, will the chair I brought down at 6 a.m. be carted off by someone who believes it has "been there all night" ?

It is my understanding based on all the information that has been released that the items will not be removed until after they have been there at least 24 hours. So you should be in good shape for your walk.

[30A Skunkape]

This is my very first post, so be gentle with me
While I think keeping these beaches as beautiful as the man upstairs made them is everyones job, is this not going to get out of hand like the "beach owners" calling the sheriff to haul off someone they perceive as tresspassing???
I cherish every minute I can at the beach. Many mornings I get up and enjoy my coffee and watch the sunrise. Then it is off on a long, long walk.
When I return from my walk, will the chair I brought down at 6 a.m. be carted off by someone who believes it has "been there all night" ?

Probably not. Stuff exposed to the beach all night shows the wear and tear. I hope you enjoy many sunrises as spectacular as the sunset we saw tonight!

[Smiling JOe]

Beware of the construction site on Grayton Beach. They have four tents linked together with huge pyramids, and huge holes. I informed the two guys under the tent that it was a violation to leave their crap out and asked them to fill in their holes to prevent injury to a person walking by and because of the Sea Turtle nesting period. They acknowledged that yes, it could be a safety issue. When I left the beach after dark, their crap was still there. Looked like enough crap to fit an army of twenty people.

As I suspected, there is still no signs of the Sheriff or Code Enforcement doing anything. Give me some tags and authority, and I won't mind issuing them and collecting the goods. I did enjoy some of my time on the beach this evening, but I was saddened to see so much trash on the the beach. It looked worse that Panama City Beach. Grayton was not even closed to being a Blue Wave Certified beach today.

[30A Skunkape]

Beware of the construction site on Grayton Beach. They have four tents linked together with huge pyramids, and huge holes. I informed the two guys under the tent that it was a violation to leave their crap out and asked them to fill in their holes to prevent injury to a person walking by and because of the Sea Turtle nesting period. They acknowledged that yes, it could be a safety issue. When I left the beach after dark, their crap was still there. Looked like enough crap to fit an army of twenty people.

As I suspected, there is still no signs of the Sheriff or Code Enforcement doing anything. Give me some tags and authority, and I won't mind issuing them and collecting the goods. I did enjoy some of my time on the beach this evening, but I was saddened to see so much trash on the the beach. It looked worse that Panama City Beach. Grayton was not even closed to being a Blue Wave Certified beach today.

We went to Alys for the sunset, and even there where there are few people it was scattered with tons of stuff. Maybe it has been there awhile as there were lots of plastic nosecones from July 4th rockets. Lots of cellophane type stuff for whatever reason, too. I guess junk drifts down from Rosemary and Seacrest

[seacrestkristi]

We went to Alys for the sunset, and even there where there are few people it was scattered with tons of stuff. Maybe it has been there awhile as there were lots of plastic nosecones from July 4th rockets. Lots of cellophane type stuff for whatever reason, too. I guess junk drifts down from Rosemary and Seacrest

Don't they have trash receptacles on that area of the beach If so why aren't they being used Also isn't Alys Beach just a fancy subdivision in Seacrest Beach
How can you buy property and make your own beach It's not like a new town and if so, they built it right in the middle of another one I believe there are regular social gatherings there. Haven't you got the invites from the RE Co.? That may be where the 'junk' is comin' from. BTW,the bike path used to be way 'er in that stretch before it got asphalted over there in Alys

[dsilvar]

Beware of the construction site on Grayton Beach. They have four tents linked together with huge pyramids, and huge holes. I informed the two guys under the tent that it was a violation to leave their crap out and asked them to fill in their holes to prevent injury to a person walking by and because of the Sea Turtle nesting period. They acknowledged that yes, it could be a safety issue. When I left the beach after dark, their crap was still there. Looked like enough crap to fit an army of twenty people.

As I suspected, there is still no signs of the Sheriff or Code Enforcement doing anything. Give me some tags and authority, and I won't mind issuing them and collecting the goods. I did enjoy some of my time on the beach this evening, but I was saddened to see so much trash on the the beach. It looked worse that Panama City Beach. Grayton was not even closed to being a Blue Wave Certified beach today.

I feel your pain..SJ. Here at Miramar, it is just as bad.
I cannot imagine what makes a person arrive at a beautiful beach, sit and enjoy the ambiance for hours, then get up and leave a trail of garbage all the way to their car.
There is a disconnect somewhere..maybe, like just about everything these days, they think the beach is one-time-use disposable. Sheesh...

A kingdom for a handful of red tags...palease!

[BeachSiO2]

From the reports I heard, tagging began on Monday night and the first removals started yesterday in the Miramar area. The first section resulted in 9 extra loads of beach stuff in addition to the regular beach trash. Today they are finishing the rest of Miramar to Topsail Hill. Due to the amount of stuff, the beach has been broken down in sections to begin with. They will be continuing moving eastward through 30A with a complete pass through the area by next Tuesday.

As far as items at County/TDC accesses, they are being removed this week also. This means kayaks and anything attached to the boardwalks also so if you "had" a kayak at a County beach access, it is probably no longer there.

[Smiling JOe]

I feel your pain..SJ. Here at Miramar, it is just as bad.
I cannot imagine what makes a person arrive at a beautiful beach, sit and enjoy the ambiance for hours, then get up and leave a trail of garbage all the way to their car.
There is a disconnect somewhere..maybe, like just about everything these days, they think the beach is one-time-use disposable. Sheesh...

A kingdom for a handful of red tags...palease!

I did see plenty of cheap plastic crap, left as garbage (small shovels, buckets, etc), however, what I saw on the beach, in the water line was in front of Grayton Beach SP, west of GB, and it was not the usual stuff. Some examples of what I saw: empty bag of potting soil, plant container, three latex industrial strength gloves, small bits of plastic, piece of a laundry basket, cheese slice wrappers, balloon string and deflated balloon, and many undetermined pieces of garbage. It was almost as though a few very garbage bags full of scavenged beach garbage had broken open and flooded the beach.

Back in front of Grayton Beach, there was so much cheap-plastic-beach-crap trash that it was rather disturbing. Keep in mind that the Sun had not set just yet, but I guarantee you that the stuff I saw, wasn't going to be collected by the owners. Seeing all of that trash on what would otherwise be a beautiful walk, makes me really dislike the disrespectful people who trash the place. If I had my choice, I'd sentence them all to a chain gang, collecting garbage from hwy 98 roadside in the heat of Aug, for 30 days.

I realize that I'm probably preaching to the choir on this board, but I say, stay at home if you are a trashy kind of person. We don't want you here!

[Jdarg]

Probably not. Stuff exposed to the beach all night shows the wear and tear. I hope you enjoy many sunrises as spectacular as the sunset we saw tonight!

Tonight's sunset was one of the most interesting and beautiful ever!

[BlueFox181]

[/B]


Tonight's sunset was one of the most interesting and beautiful ever!

any pics for us poor saps from out of town? Our sun went down with torrential rain

[Jdarg]

any pics for us poor saps from out of town? Our sun went down with torrential rain

I think Bdarg took a few, and he is in charge of all things camera, so it may be a few days.

[scooterbug44]

Publicizing the tagging/removal schedule schedule seems counter productive to keeping the beaches clean. Now I know what days I can leave my stuff littering the beach w/ no repercussions!

[Caroling]

Publicizing the tagging/removal schedule schedule seems counter productive to keeping the beaches clean. Now I know what days I can leave my stuff littering the beach w/ no repercussions!

True. I took my zone schedule page down. To me it is useful to track how the cleanup is working. However, this morning I talked to a TDC person who seemed quite serious about the tag and bag, so I'm encouraged. I got video of Eastern Lake today, on the last day before the new policy there.