So are you saying the root cause may not be Mike Huckabee?
Do you think the root cause might be a 10-fold increase in tourists in the last decade, now at the 4 million number? What happens as that number grows larger and tourists are bussed in and not even paying bed tax in Walton County?
There has not been anyone “kicked off the beach” for swimming, fishing, walking the entire coastline, building sandcastles, or taking family pictures.
The issue has been people putting chairs and umbrellas on private property against the will of the property owner because of overcrowding on Public Beaches due to the exponential increase of tourists. As a result of the tourist increase, the BCC (as of 2016) wants to take absolute and full control of all property from the dune line to the water line, independent of who has a legal deed. Before 2016, if someone was on private property without permission of the property owner (possibly by mistake) and were asked to leave, they left. That has been the Ancient Customary Use in Walton County. There has NEVER been forced occupation of unlimited people and unlimited equipment on Private Property against the will of the Property owner, and in the OPINION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA there WILL NOT BE WITHOUT JUDICIAL APPROVAL.
So help me out. The county web site lists 9 Regional or County Public Beaches with parking and restroom, 8 of which are on 30A. When was each of them opened?
1. Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
2. Dune Allen Regional Beach Access – (open 2019)
3. Fort Panic Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
4. Ed Walline Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
5. Gulfview Heights Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
6. Blue Mountain Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
7. Van Ness Butler Jr. Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
8. Santa Clara Regional Beach Access – (when did this open?)
9. Inlet Beach Regional Access – (when did this open?)