More regulations coming to Walton beaches? New ordinances focus on tents, holes and red flags

SANTA ROSA BEACH — One of the proposed changes to Walton County's beach activities ordinance sends a clear signal that the county remains serious about curtailing beachgoers entering the Gulf of Mexico when double-red beach warning flags are flying, a signal that the presence of rip currents and other phenomena make it too dangerous to be in the water.

Briefly, the proposed change will enlist beach vendors — who provide chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, and other goods and services to visitors to the county's beaches — in the effort to communicate the county's serious stance on double-red flag violations.

County officials have been focused on keeping people out of the water during double-red flag conditions for months, following a number of drownings and what county code enforcement and beach safety personnel have described as an outright defiance of the flags and associated verbal warnings by beachgoers.

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Earlier this year, the county amended its beach activities ordinance to raise fines for double-red flag violations from $100 to $500, with court appearances and potential driver license revocation (even for out-of-state drivers) as additional consequences.

Nonetheless, Walton County Code Compliance Department Director Tony Cornman told the county commissioners earlier this month that code compliance personnel had issued 163 citations for double-red flag violations through October.

The increased fine for double-red flag violations has been in place since February.

Also during his Nov. 23 presentation to the commission, Cornman introduced a proposed set of changes to the beach activities ordinance. Each year as the tourist season winds down, the Code Compliance Department hosts public workshops during which its proposed changes and changes sought by the public are discussed.

Among the changes proposed for the upcoming year is a new provision that would require beach vendors to set up signs at their locations describing the county's colored flag system to alert beachgoers to water conditions. Additionally, when double-red flags are flying, vendors would be required to place signs at a maximum of 250 feet apart to note the dangerous surf conditions, that the water is closed to swimmers and that violations of double-red flag warning carry a fine of $500.

Beyond signage, the proposed ordinance change also would require vendors to warn customers verbally of the presence of double-red flag conditions. Also under the change, vendors could face a fine of up to $500 fine for failing to warn visitors about double-red flag conditions and associated penalties.

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Among other proposed changes, all of which could carry fines of up to $500, is an effort to limit the digging of holes on the beach and requiring that holes be filled in before the responsible party leaves.

The proposal is a result of public concern about the adverse effects of holes dug on the beach in impeding sea turtle nesting and the return of sea turtles and their hatchlings to the Gulf of Mexico.

Additionally, county code officials have heard repeated concerns about the danger that holes can pose to people walking along the sand.

Under the proposed change, holes dug on the beach can't be larger than 3 feet by 3 feet nor any deeper than 2 feet, must be attended at all times.

Another proposed change set for the Dec. 14 public hearing addresses what people at the recent workshops saw as an unacceptable proliferation of tents on public beaches.

In some instances, single tents have been erected together to create massive shelters for families and other groups that impede access to the sand and the water, according to complaints.

Under the proposed change, tent footprints on public beaches would be limited to 10 feet by 10 feet, with a 4-foot clearance between individual tents to provide walking space to the beach.

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In addition, the changes would limit the placement of tents to the upper half of the beach, between the water line and the dune vegetation line. That provision of the proposed ordinance change would not apply to Grayton Beach, according to documents presented to the commission at the Nov. 23 session.

Other proposed changes would require beach vendors to phase out the use of the wooden storage boxes placed along the beaches to house chairs, umbrellas and other vending items, in favor of canvas or similar covers.

The reason for those proposed changes — which would require all new storage facilities to be made of canvas or other materials by 2022, and would require all storage facilities to be replaced with canvas or similar materials by 2023 — is to reduce the amount of storm debris that can be created when winds and rain combine to tear apart the existing wooden structures.

County commissioners will consider the proposed changes at a public hearing Dec. 14.

Commissioners will then formally address the proposed changes at two later meetings. They routinely plan to have annual changes to the beach activities ordinance in place prior to start of the tourist season.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Proposed Walton County ordinances focus on tents, holes and red flags