Why do we need a petition to save our shore?

Citizens for Healthy Beaches is mailing 5,792 petitions to Destin property owners. If you own property west of Henderson Beach Park, south of Highway 98 and/or south of the harbor you will receive yours soon.

The petition is a request to the city for a special assessment for beach restoration.

I have seen the construction plans for the beach project and they are truly amazing. Imagine 200 additional feet of sand stretching out into the Gulf and anchored by a 14-foot dune and you get the idea.

This is the beach we all remember. Room for volleyball nets and umbrellas and space for those who want solitude!

Why do we need a petition?

It’s about getting our beach back in 2008-09. And it’s about money. That is all.

Yes, there are details surrounding a restoration project. Those details will exist whether the project starts in 2008 or in 2011. That is why public hearings and multiple agency reviews are part of any restoration project.

This petition is only about timing and money.

The timing concern is pretty simple. The sooner the beach is restored, the sooner we see the benefits.  Plus, Eglin will restore its beaches in 2008-09. We save a lot of money by joining our project to theirs, as originally planned.

The money side is a little more complicated. Destin’s funding plan includes three payees: the state, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and property owners. Our plan is sound because the TDC appreciates the importance of restored beaches, recognizes the critical need in Destin and accepts a commitment to pay a majority of the anticipated cost.

A new spirit of cooperation between the city and county and the TDC made this happen.

Florida is facing a budget crisis.

Without state money, it may be impossible to use the approved MSBU for assessing property owners.

At the April 7 City Council meeting, Mayor Barker commented that the city should consider a “Plan B” using a special assessment in case the preferred method of combining TDC funds with an MSBU was lost. A motion was unanimously approved directing city staff to begin interacting with affected property owners regarding such an assessment.

A Destin special assessment must be requested by a petition from a majority of affected property owners. The city charter makes that very clear.
This petition duplicates the assessment plan recommended by the TDC, endorsed by the city and approved by the county. It adjusts for the loss of $850,000 in state funding and substitutes “city” for “county” as the assessor. There will be ONLY ONE assessment. We still hope we won’t need “Plan B,” but like good Scouts, we must be prepared.

Beach restoration will happen, and we will pay a share of it. This petition places a fixed ceiling using today’s cost figures. Should we wait three or four years until state funds are available and accept any cost increases? Can we accept the risk that no storms will occur between now and then?

The city needs this tool for 2008-09.

In the ’60s VW Beetle ads stated, “It goes frontwards, it goes backwards. It goes uphill, it goes downhill. It’s simple. What more do you want?” The petition says, “We want our beaches restored in 2008-09. We want some control of our costs. It’s simple. What more do you want?”

Terry M. Trojan is the chairman of Citizens for Healthy Beaches. Citizens for Healthy Beaches is a volunteer organization committed to the restoration and preservation of local beaches.  Contributions to defray printing and postage costs may be mailed to P.O. Box 1875, Destin, FL 32540-1875