Enforcement for remove it or lose it?

[TreeFrog]

For a period last summer, I was happy to see that "remove it or lose it" was being enforced. The beaches were cleaner and looked more inviting.

It's been months since I've seen an item either tagged or removed. Down here by Eastern Lake, we have a lot of folks staking their claim and leaving their stuff set up overnight. This appears to include the beach chair rentals, although to tell the truth, I don't know how early they arrive to set up.

So is "remove it or lose it" reduced to a few signs, or have I just missed the enforcement?

 

[ckhagen]

I was wondering about enforcement too. Honestly it's because my grandparents live in Seagrove within eye shot of the access and we have family in town for the weekend with babies and we need the tent up. The first night, we took it down (total PITA considering we're coming right back out in the morning), but then we noticed it wasn't being enforced, so for the next 2 nights we left it up. Their name is written down the side of it. It's just that for a man of my grandfathers age to be pulling something up and putting it back out 6-8 time in one weekend when he can basically see it from his house... well... that's just really rough.

btw, chair rentals normally go up around 6 when I worked on the beach in Destin.

 

[scooterbug44]

I hope they come and take your tent so you don't have to be further inconvenienced by keeping our beaches clean! :angry:

How about if I go park in your driveway - I'll only leave the car there for 14 hours or so, so it won't be a bother (I'll be using it the next day).

Maybe it would be more convenient if your grandfather had some help - maybe from a younger relative whose kids need the tent. :roll:

 

[ckhagen]

Uh, I can't exactly help him take it down with two toddlers in my arms. I'm 5'2" and 115lbs soaking wet. We're talking about someone who has had the property there for 20+ years and lived there full time for 12 years. He's not leaving trash behind. We pick up every.single.thing except the tent. Absolutely everything goes inside, but taking that tent down and putting it back up every few hours is not easy. This man knows every single homeowner who has a rental on that street, everyone who lives there, and half the actual renters.

btw, it's not like he does this all the time. we're talking only on holiday weekends when we actually need it because of all the extra family staying in his house.

 

[Sand Angel]

Uh, I can't exactly help him take it down with two toddlers in my arms. I'm 5'2" and 115lbs soaking wet. We're talking about someone who has had the property there for 20+ years and lived there full time for 12 years. He's not leaving trash behind. We pick up every.single.thing except the tent. Absolutely everything goes inside, but taking that tent down and putting it back up every few hours is not easy. This man knows every single homeowner who has a rental on that street, everyone who lives there, and half the actual renters.

btw, it's not like he does this all the time. we're talking only on holiday weekends when we actually need it because of all the extra family staying in his house.

I think this attitude that it is NECESSARY to leave stuff on the beach is what got us into this remove it or lose it problem to start with. Are you saying that with all those people staying in his house, your grandfather cannot get one single person to help him with a tent? Although your family considers it a necessity, that tent is still an entanglement hazard to sea turtles and other animals, especially when the wind picks it up and puts it into the gulf. Owning a home does not entitle you to disobey county ordinances or other laws. Please pick up your stuff and take it in at night! If you are not physically capable of doing that, how did it get down to the beach to start with???

 

[ckhagen]

All these people we're talking about are three women and about 8 children. To think that the tent could be an entanglement issue, it's obvious that you don't know what kind of tent we're talking about. It's not going anywhere, he's had it for 10 years and it's never blown away once. It's not that he can't get it down there and back, it's getting it down there and back that many times in such a short period of time. If we're talking about going in at 7pm and going back out at 8am... what's the different between that and someone leaving their stuff out between 7am and 8pm? I've seen some people put it out in the morning and then go back inside and not come out until sunset. I don't see the difference there.

 

[ckhagen]

Should you have to bring in a shade if you leave and go have lunch and come back 5 or 6 hours later? People do that all the time in an effort to avoid the hottest hours of the day. It could just as easily blow away during that time period, but somehow because it's daylight, that makes it ok?

 

[scooterbug44]

Someone leaving crap sitting on the beach unused for 5-6 hours during the day doesn't mean it's okay for you to leave crap there unused for 11 hours at night.

In all cases, people should pick up after themselves and not take so much stuff to the beach if it is too much of a burden to set it up and take it down when they are not actively using it.

Strange how I have been going to the beach for years w/ and without kids and infants and have never needed a massive tent. I must be doing it wrong. ;-)

Nighttime is enforced because objects on the beach at night pose more of a hazard to both people and wildlife and it is a set time you CAN enforce. It is difficult to determine the amount of time an item has been on the beach or how long it has been sitting unused during the day.

 

[Sand Angel]

I don't think you get the point here, nor do I think that you will. If it is not OK for anyone to leave their stuff on the beach overnight per a county ordinance, why is it OK for you to leave your stuff on the beach overnight? Is there an exemption to this ordinance that I have missed?

If you disagree with the ordinance, I understand that, but disagreement does not qualify you to ignore the ordinance.

If anyone leaves anything on the beach for 5 -6 hours, I think they are very lucky if it is all there when they come back. Yes, they should take it with them if they are leaving for several hours, even in daylight.

BTW Are you saying that women are not qualified to put up and take down a tent? I thought women were stronger than that and certainly not that helpless. If you have daughters, I hope you are teaching them to take care of themselves and not to be dependent on other people to do things for them.

 

[TreeFrog]

Easy, folks, easy...

It's a lively discussion, but I'm still hoping someone has some insight into whether TDC and the County are still tagging and picking up.