photos - Blue Mountain Beach access - 7/28/05

[SoWalSally]

Include a link to this page when you write so that your recipient has a reference: http://www.sowal.com/photos-072805.html

As always, Kurt has a link for contacts:
http://www.sowal.com/links.html

County Administrator - Ronnie Bell, Administrator, belronnie@co.walton.fl.us

Planning & Development - Pat Blackshear, Director, blapat@co.walton.fl.us

County Commissioners:

? Dist. 1 -Scott Brannon, (850) 622-3081, brascott@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 2 - Kenneth Pridgen, (850) 834-6328, prikenneth@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 3 - Larry Jones (850) 892-8474, jonlarry@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 4 - Ro Cuchens, (850) 835-4834 cucro@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 5 - Cindy Meadows, (850) 622-3059 meacindy@co.walton.fl.us


________________________________________

A better strategy might be to send your message to:

Governor Jeb Bush
Phone: 850/488/7146
Fax: 850-487-0801
jeb.bush@myflorida.com

Colleen Castille
Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection
850-245-2118
Colleen.Castille@dep.state.fl.us

Dick Fancher
DEP Northwest Regulatory District Director
850-595-8300
Dick.Fancher@dep.state.fl.us

Michael Barnett
DEP Beaches and Coastal Systems Bureau Chief
850-488-7808
Michael.Barnett@dep.state.fl.us


ALSO FWS:

Lorna Patrick
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
850-769-0552 ext.229
lorna_patrick@fws.gov

Robbin Trindell, Ph.D.
Biological Administrator, Bureau Of Protected Species Management
850-922-4330
robbin.trindell@fwc.state.fl.us

Dean Gallagher
Environmental Specialist, Bureau Of Protected Species Management
850-922-4330
dean.gallagher@fwc.state.fl.us

 

[TooFarTampa]

Awesome, Sally. Thanks. :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: More letters going out shortly.

 

[wetwilly]

See this link http://southwaltoncc.org/dennis.pdf. This is the press release or info letter from July 21st. It spells out the plan for restoration, what they have approved (diff colors of sand), and the guidelines of use of the non white sand. I suggest that we use these guidelines and the exact words that are in this 7/21 communication to insure that what is happening on the beach is what has been set in these guidelines. This is critical in communicating with the County folks.

Also, see the brown sand thread at on this board at http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=885&highlight=sand.

I hope these links work or maybe Kurt can help if they don't.

 

[Richard]

Brad Pickel, Director of Beach Management at the TDC, can be emailed at <bpickel@beachesofsouthwalton.com>.

A little history on this dark sand that is coming from a pit in the northern part of the county. Most residents along Blue Mountain Beach are doing their best to bring in sand that complies with the intent of the new lowered white sand standards the county commission adopted. I applaud that effort. Residents need to be able to protect their property as soon as possible. We have been told there is no shortage of sand that is a 6.2 or better on the Munsell Scale. That is why the number was chosen by the county commissioners.

Walton County Commissioner Ro Cuchens was key in lowering our standards from 8.0 to 6.2. Cuchen?s dock and piling company applied for and received a blanket permit from the county to build seawalls from the highway 83 beach access to the east. He asked the other commissioners if anyone objected to his doing this work. It appears the other commissioners did not object. It is this commissioner who is responsible for bringing in this cheaper dark sand from the north part of the county to Blue Mountain Beach.

Still one might wonder how the sand got approved by the county. After all it is supposed to be inspected to be sure it complies. The situation was reported to the Walton County Code Enforcement office and initally and unofficially they said there was no way this sand could be approved. But soon Commissioner Cuchens was on the scene. Later the county engineer, Greg Graham reported that the sand sample that had been tested for compliance and tested at a 6.2. When asked how this was possible he said the sand was washed several times and then cooked in a microwave oven. After processing the sand in this manner he deemed it acceptable. Perhaps the "processed" sand is acceptable but what they are putting on the beach is not.

Most of this sand should eventually go behind the seawalls Commissioner Cuchens is building. Some may go in front of the walls and be covered by white sand. Much of it may end up on "Brown Mountain Beach"!

In addition, any heavy machinery you see left on the beach that has been there through the night is in defiance of DEP regulations. Commissioner Cuchens has knowingly violated this regulation as well.

I believe this work could have been done in a manner that complies with the Code. Do we have a commissioner with a conflict of interest?

 

[wetwilly]

Your question of...."Do we have a commissioner with a conflict of interest?" and the answer is obvious. I knew when I started thinking about this that someone involved in the county or board was making money on this. This does not appear to be 6.2 sand (baked and dried in the microwave).

Shameful but unfortunaltely not suprising.

 

[Smiling JOe]

When I first saw this, I was shocked. In an earlier post, I read that they got permission to use non white sand but that is ridiculous. Obviously, they went and bought the cheap stuff. Hopefully they are only planning to use this "dirt" to backfill and fortify the foundations of the homes and not spread it on the beach?

Are they spreading this stuff on the beach? If they get the addl $16M needed to complete restoration, I hope they plan on getting some of the white sand. State and Federal money are available and I hope they use it properly. Yuk.

Have you not seen what happens to sand at the beach? During these major storms, backfill quickly falls down and becomes sandbars, then retuns to the top layer of the beach. It matters not where the dark stuff is dumped along the beach, or if it is only the bottom layer, because soon enough it will all be washed out, mixed in, and washed back to become our beach. Poop on the people who made this terrible decision. I am sure that Gulf-front owners may have a very different position, but that is just my thought.

 

[Smiling JOe]

... Building on sand should not be allowed anywhere, anytime!!!! ...

Are you saying that homes should not be built in Florida?

 

[Smiling JOe]

Brad wanted white sand used. He was ignored.

Yes, Brad suggested that white sand should be used first, and then if we run out, they could consider using other sand.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Wow Richard what a post.

I've written to the state people -- Jeb Bush and all the Department of Environmental Protection officers listed. I attached the pic and even invoked the poor sea turtles.

If this is the way things are run in Walton County, no wonder they looked like yahoos on 20/20.

Kurt, thanks again for this board. Without it, the many faraway homeowners wouldn't be able to find out what is really going on.

 

[Beachlover2]

Just recd this via e-mail

To All :

I am in total agreement with the position that red/brown sand was not to be allowed under our "emergency measures." The next County Commission meeting is Tuesday August 9th in DeFuniak Springs at 4:00 p.m. If we need to address this matter sooner, please ask Chairman Pridgen to call an "emergency meeting" to address this issue. I will do the same.

I am also in favor of allowing owners who can rebuild, variances to front yard set backs to move homes as far forward as possible.

Commissioner Meadows