Because I have been busy with some other things this morning, I sent my friend on a mission. He took photos and sand samples, and had a meeting with Greg Graham, the County's Civil Engineer who is in charge of color-testing of sand being added to the beach.
The following is based on my conversation with my friend. His understanding is that the dark sand dumped in Seagrove, as recently as yesterday, measures a 6.2 and it should be 7.2 per County Commissioners' ruling from the Blue Mtn Beach Special Mtg. The sand samples brought in today were not tested, but Mr Graham states that it appears to be the same color as the samples brought in yesterday, which rated 6.2 (the higher the color, the whiter the sand). When Mr Graham was asked why they are being allowed to add sand below the minimum standards, he responded in a way that let my friend believe that he was being poked and prodded by higher-ups in the County.
Mr. Graham states that at the meeting where the the 7.2 minimum rating was decided, he was confused on what the answer was. I was at the meeting, and I it sounded crystal clear to me. I remember the 7.2 minimum requirement being for all new dirt brought in from that day forward. Mr. Graham states that he was confused, and after meeting with Pat Blackshear, they thought that any projects which had already began could bring in the darker dirt meeting only the 6.2 level. Therefore, they told the people already under contract with a dirt man, that they could use the old 6.2 min. requirements since they had already started. At that time, the minutes from the meeting had not been reviewed, approved, nor dismissed, so they were in the dark if they did not understand the Commissioners' ruling at the meeting. Greg Graham stated to my friend that he did not read the minutes from the meeting until Code Enforcement brought it to his attention in the recent past. Mr Graham and Pat Blackshear now understood the minutes to read just as I heard and understood at the meeting. The problem is that they have told the contractors and homeowners that they could place the 6.2 min dirt on the beach. Now they know that is not what the Commissioners ruled. How do they go back and tell people that they have to remove the dirt? They are still going to allow any Gulf-front owner who began their work prior to the Blue Mtn Beach Special Mtg to keep illegally dumping the darker sand. According to Mr Graham, he and Pat Blackshear went to Pat's boss and several County Commissioners, including Cindy Meadows, and their response was, if they started before the change in minimum standards to the 7.2, they could continue with the jobs. Mr Graham said that he thought they would have been done with these jobs long ago, so he was suprised to see the darker sand being brought onto Seagrove as recently as yesterday. My friend informed him that there will likely be more coming just down the beach where the massive seawall is being installed to the west of the Seagrove Villas. My friend also asked him why he could not now tell all dirt contractors and homeowners that since they now understand the law to be different from what he was telling them, any new sand delivered from this day forward would have to meet the new 7.2 minimum requirement. He did not have a response, other than the people told him if the owners had started before the Blue Mtn Beach Mtg, they could continue.
It sounds like Mr Graham is being beaten up on by the higher ups. He is very fearful that this illegal dumping in Seagrove could blow up in his face, just as it did a few months back at the Blue Mtn Beach mtg. He took a severe beating from both sides.
That is today's report. My friend is sending me photos of that area from earlier today, and I will post them when I receive them.
