The Real Civil War's Gonna Start on 30A!...

Cliffs?

Got into an altercation last year with people reserving beach spots that had no right to. It’s usually the dude decked out in LSU gear, LSU tents, LSU labeled everything that never stepped foot in a classroom.

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Cliffs

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I believe it has to do with private properties taking over parts of the beach. So the public and condos/rentals are cramming into small patches, which spill over onto the private areas.

I didn’t watch the video but have heard of the issue going on.

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Cliffs?

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Essentially, the longstanding determination of public vs private of FL beaches has been the mean high water mark (the average of high tides over a defined period of time). This basically means wet sand was public and 99% of dry sand is private.

The problem in 30A is the overwhelming majority of renters are renting off beach properties. When these people go to the beach, they are funneled in from a public parking lot to the water through state owned property or a public easement. These funnels are typically very narrow, 50ft or less.

Lately beachfront landowners have been claiming they own into the water. They have mostly had the local sheriff's office's support. Public beach goers have not been able to enjoy the waters edge in front of private property and forced to pile into the public spaces like sardines. In order to cross these private properties to casually stroll down the beach, one must walk through the water, not stopping, and definitely not putting a chair or tent.

In Walton Co, there seems to be a gray area of riparian ownership. I'm no expert but it seems pretty cut and dry in most of the rest of FL, but something sneaky going down in Walton Co that could potentially affect the rest of FL beaches.

I'm doing my part by staying as far away from the damn beach as possible. Y'all baws can have my spot, I'll be in the mountains somewhere.

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Lately beachfront landowners have been claiming they own into the water.

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I am down there a good bit and have never seen anyone assert this kind of claim. I have seen some signs further back into the dry sand claiming that it is private. I don’t see the big issue. If an individual or a community like Rosemary owns the property they shouldn’t be forced to let just anyone set up camp on their property. And as a practical matter there is very little enforcement. If someone from Seacrest walks a bit up the beach and set up a tent on Alys’ property, nothing will probably happen.

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I got into it with a property owner down there last year. He called the cops. Everyone agreed that he only owned down to the mean high tide line, but nobody knows exactly where that is, so the cops told us to stay close to the water. Not in wet sand, but no more than about 15 yards from the water, which was perfect. As soon as the cops left, the rest of the back row folks followed suit and completely filled the beach in front of his house. He finally just went back inside.

This is why I won’t go back to 30a. Too crowded.

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We used to go to that area frequently for spring break. Have friends that live near Rosemary Beach and Miramar Beach. For them (the locals) this has become a huge issue. How the big mansions have blocked the beautiful beach access for the locals and visitors that can't afford renting or owning them.

Depends on the season, Spring Break, and the summer months are the busiest times, with long lines and crowded beaches, but it's generally crowded most everywhere along 30A. Not only in Destin and surrounding areas, but most other beach/tourist destinations.

While the area is a victim of their own success, it generally still has remained quaint and kept its uniqueness through its growth. Good times are late August or October - November. Less crowded then and still good Beach weather. Just have to pick the right time of year and less crowded beaches (they are there along the coast, like Navarre Beach towards Pensacola, which is largely quiet and less packed, or try Cape San Blas or Mexico Beach).