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| As the Umbrella Turns |
After the fourth of July, we South Walton residents are over the summer hump and so even while we are still crazy busy with vacationers I start feeling a little lighter. I decided to start counting down to August 15th as the end of summer as most of the vacationers will be back home, getting the kiddies ready for school. It's not that I don't like vacationers but I do like it here better when the season is over and they are gone. Sadly, with all the confusion on the beach this year vacationers may think twice about coming back which is not good for the economy. Yes, I am clearly conflicted. Okay a good economy wins so as a community we have some work ahead of us. It seems we must try to figure out how everyone can play nice at the beach. What? Haven't we always had to do that? Well we have always been a popular spot to vacation but in the last few years we have had record crowds and when you have record crowds people come out of the sand dunes to make money off them. It's only natural...the beach is our golden egg. And there is the greed thing.
Here's the latest South Walton BIG problem. Some of the private beachfront communities and some of the individual single family home beachfront owners don't believe in sharing. And honestly, some beachgoers are just slobs. But most aren't...most just want to enjoy the beach like everyone's been doing since the beginning of humanity but the beaches are getting more and more congested. The
private beach controversy about who gets to go where on the beach has been going on for some time but I kind of think the beach confrontations might have pushed it into overdrive this year because of the beach chair vendors. I don't know how the county regulates the permitting but it has become very big business. I've always liked the image of beach umbrellas set-up all in a row. At first glance they look so peaceful. Not so much anymore. Each beach access point has a handful of good looking young men setting up beach chairs and umbrellas as soon as the
Turtle Watch volunteers give them the all-clear which is about 6:30 am. We have a county "
leave no trace" ordinance to protect the turtles thank goodness or I am confident these young men would be directed to be out there all night fighting for the best spot to set-up. Beach vendor business has gotten so big that last year "the county" designated where they could go and where those of us who like to bring our own stuff to the beach could go. By mid-morning there is not so much space for anyone and tempers run high because some of the beach chair set-ups are just holding a space. Doesn't seem right. Adding insult to the beachfront owners alleged injury, spillage in front of beachfront property has became more of an issue so more and more "private beach" signs started popping up. Tempers flare often enough that the sheriffs department has spent way too much time at the beach this year and not for a nice swim. To know exactly where you are legally allowed to be, you would need to have some sort of implanted device that would show you where the following lines are drawn: private property lines, the mean high tide line, designated beach vendor area and something that would remind you to move with the wet sand. Tourists have no idea where these invisible lines in the sand are...heck I don't and I live here. They are getting chased this way and that which is very bad manners since we spend millions of bed tax dollars inviting them to come. Most of us resident's believe in "customary use" and we don't like getting kicked off the beach so there have been marches and stand your sand episodes that well, don't make for good press. It looks like this year "the county" is going to have to find the time to figure out how to enforce the confusing laws we have and so upcoming elections are getting very interesting. Geez it's like a soap opera. And with all the sad things that are going on in the world, this takes up so much valuable energy and seems embarrassingly petty.
So I will close this journal entry with hope that we learn to be grateful for what we have and with 2 joyful images of creatures who are enjoying customary use.
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| Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| Great Blue Heron having breakfast |
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