Overheard on The Web

Here is what some people are saying online about stories in the Destin Log.

The Destin Brand — By: JK
Unfortunately the name Destin now conjures up images of huge ugly condos, ridiculous traffic jams, and hostile private beach signs. Communities like South Walton, that actually have rules about development, are siphoning off the vast majority of tourists who used to enjoy our formally beautiful and welcoming town.

By: Tired of The Beach
The story doesn’t mention public money is going to fund THE Beach marketing campaign. Why must my tax dollar fund a campaign so ridiculed by the public? Only in Okaloosa County and the city of Destin.
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Don’t ban golf carts — By: Jack Simpson
My wife and I recently flew our small plane to Cedar Key. We rented a golf cart for ground transportation. It was wonderful. Their city council has adopted a sensible policy such as requiring a driver’s license, and carts aren’t allowed on the very busy streets. Their police department was not confused. Perhaps our councilors and deputies could learn from them and many other cities who know how to do it. It bothers me that some government bureaucrats think that they know better than we do.
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MSBU funding formula — By: Public citizen
Look at the lopsided distribution of state funds for Okaloosa Island instead of Destin. It is because the beaches in Destin are private, and the beaches of Okaloosa Island are public. The state of Florida rewards Okaloosa Island for public beach and public access, yet our local TDC takes it away. Do we make citizens pay more tax for living next to the library, the city park or the courthouse? Why are Okaloosa Island citizens singled out for a special tax because they live near a public beach? Why indeed. This one is ending up in court.

The hidden danger of beach restoration — By: P. Williams
I believe it is imperative to locate a local source for sand borrowing. We now know the severe detrimental affects of invasive vegetative and wildlife species, and so must realize that sand brought in from another region will include massive quantities of non-native micro-organisms and microbes. In this instance we must not succumb to accepting a bid proposal based solely on price and matching sand qualities. Why not just bite the bullet to coordinate a regional redistribution of sand from in-filled areas due to strong storm events in recent years? Given the risks, I believe residents would better accept assessments when the future health of their properties and public beaches can better be assured.
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Public versus Private Beach — New York State of Mind
It is not the beach property owner who is at fault. The lack of public beach and crowdedness of all beachfront property has to do with planning and development. All of this is not controlled by property owners. If you think that you can not find an empty square of sand now, just wait until the beach becomes public and the other side of 98 becomes developed. Good luck. We will probably have to wait for a bell so sound and we can all turn our beach chairs in unison. Forget watching your children in the Gulf. You will not have time to go to the beach because you will be sitting in traffic.

By: destinlocal
I can’t go to the beach anymore even though I have been a resident almost my entire life because the closest public beach is either in FWB or the other side of Destin, and it isn’t free. Keep the beach private, fund it privately. Use public funds, the land becomes public. Sounds very elementary to me.

By: SnobsRUs
Another greedy rich person heard from. “We don’t want THOSE PEOPLE on OUR beach!” Guess what? The beach does not belong to you. Get over it.

By: READER
Fine, keep your beach private, but do not reach into the public money pocket to restore it. Private beach needs to be privately restored by the condo OWNERS — not taxpayer money of any kind.

By: beachfront owner
Points, opinions, feelings and the way things were before the beachfront land and sand was sold, do not hold up in a court of law. Constitutional rights and deeds to property will. It seems certain people would like to turn this into a Robin Hood story.
 
By: Beach Lover
I am sure Panhandle residents and visitors’ two cents are plentiful on this issue. Feeling compelled to comment as well, I too fondly remember the days of yore when Destin was much more friendly and tranquil.
If you have ever been to Waikiki Beach you know there is a right way to compromise paradise. Waikiki Beach has everything Destin has — large amounts of tourists and locals enjoying the beach under the shadows of huge high rises and miles of traffic. This is managed through well laid out streets, parking and generous beach access. You can easily walk from well inland across multiple lanes of traffic to plentiful beach access and stroll along public and private beaches.
The naked truth is most Destin condos are one Cat 5 away from being in the bay. Wealthy property owners along the Emerald Coast would be wise keeping this in the back of their minds before shooing fellow beach lovers from the poor side of Old 98. Enjoy paradise for what it is after all — fleeting.

By: Ohio renter
I stayed in Destin this past June prior to the algae blooms and prior to reading this comment string. I had to laugh. It reminded me of an old soap opera catch phrase: “Like sand through the hourglass so are the days of our lives.” Sorry. I know it is serious to you, but you all sound like a bunch of hens. I owned beachfront property on the Atlantic Coast. We only worried about whether our house would be there the next season, not whether someone was walking or sitting or whatever in front of our house. Put up a fence down to the water line if it bothers you. Do not get so defensive. Geez!

By: beachfront owner
When I am at my vacation home, I want to relax in private. I do not want to entertain or clean up after company. I want to rest in privacy and solitude while reading my Bible so that I will know not to covet my neighbor’s property.

By: adestinlocal
Until this moment I thought it was a proud southern tradition to stop in on a neighbor unannounced, to enjoy each other’s company in our front yards, or leave the back gate open for visitors.
I can honestly say that if I bought property on the water I would feel grateful and blessed for the beauty and nature, AND I would NEVER begrudge someone else access to it. If they were camped out two feet from my porch, helping themselves to the hose to rinse off, and borrowing my beach chairs, yes, I would probably have an issue. But if they wanted to sit on the beach behind my house and enjoy what nature provided in GREAT abundance, I would be glad to share. I’m with that sentimental writer from last week. People who already have much more than others sure are being stingy and greedy.

By: Crystal Beach Owner
Judy Bernard’s letter misrepresented what is actually happening. Her renters expect to be able to set up umbrellas and chairs in front on those being used by renters who have paid a premium to stay at a condo directly on the beach. Her renters are not being asked to crowd into a small space as she claimed. They are simply being asked to not set up in front of those paying to rent directly on the beach or to move further down the beach where ample space exists, such as behind Sea Lofts.
 
By: Don
Here’s the crux of the matter. The people who own property adjacent to the east side of the Jetty desperately need sand to prevent the Gulf waters from washing over their property. Let’s help them solve their problem and restore their truly “critically eroded” beach.
Unfortunately, Okaloosa County and the city of Destin are using their plight to advance their stated objective of creating public beach where there is now private property through a scheme called “Beach Restoration.”
Not all beach in western Destin is classified as critically eroded, the necessary criteria for justifying funding for restoration. Okaloosa County and the city of Destin are attempting “sneak” around this requirement by arbitrarily including all beach from the Jetty to Henderson Beach in the project area, and they are being aided and abetted by the TDC and the FDEP, with a hearty assist from the Citizens for Healthy Beaches.

By: Grateful
I am grateful I live in the USA where private property rights are the law. Perhaps adestinlocal should move to China. I bet he would not trespass there.
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Brown sand blues — By: Coffee drinker
I own a condo at Jetty East, and agree with the Destin Pointe owner. You can’t take the cream out of the coffee. Why not wait and do this right? We don’t want to be like the poor folks of Okaloosa Island who have been stuck with brown sand dunes for three years when Okaloosa County and the TDC made a mistake.
 
By: Just sick
I am just sick about this. Please don’t put brown or gray sand down. Find something suitable or don’t do it at all. This is insane. You will see a corresponding drop in rentals. Someone start a petition quick. I have a condo in the affected area, and I do not want to see this happen at all. Please don’t do a crappy job and ruin the natural beaches — even if they are narrow.
 
By: Don’t do it
I have a condo at Destin Pointe, and I would rather live with a degraded beach than for you to put brown sand on it. Stop! Let’s wait for white sand. We have waited this long. What is another year? Please don’t do this. You will ruin the rentals in this restored area.
 
By: Shocked
I too was at the meeting and was shocked at how brown and gray the weathered samples looked. Besides having the brown sand blues with gray sand, the funding was drastically altered at the TDC meeting. All of the public notices sent to those paying the new MSBU tax are wrong. So we have brown sand and wrong tax notices all moving forward at 6 p.m. on August 7 at the Conference Center.

Don’t let them have the last word. Log on to www.thedestinlog.com and join the debate. Just click on a story and then click on the comment button at the bottom of the page.