Accessibility the Potential Casualty in the Fight Against Opening Beach Access #4 in Perdido Key

If those opposed to opening beach access #4 in Perdido are successful, a handicapped-accessible Escambia County-owned beach location would be one of the casualties.......

For those who have not followed the deliberate attempts to keep 300 feet of publicly-owned, prime Gulf-Front beach property inaccessible to the general public, you can read all about this ongoing, sordid spectacle here.

Several of us are working to open this beach, and we will #OpenOurBeach.  But there have been a few setbacks that have thrown us off of the timeline we were given by staff last year at this time.  

Most recently, it is a red herring, faux argument straw-man concocted to advance the fiction that opening this beach might "draw a lawsuit" for the county and leave vulnerable, protected wildlife species "unprotected."  This is total BS garbage, a smokescreen. 

You see,  there are these special interests, those with hidden agendas, and their bidders (primarily nearby condo owners who have a padlocked, "no-trespassing" private walkover to access our beach) who like the comfortable status-quo.  They don't want us to do what we said we would do (provide public access) when we purchased this property with taxpayer funds in 2013;  they like things just the way they are right now.  It is very, very comfortable for them as it now stands presently.

It goes a little something like this:  

"We can use this beach, we live here and we have access to it that you cannot use--our access point is Private--we don't want you here!"   See how that works?

And meanwhile, NOTHING is being done to protect the habitat and the dunes at this parcel.  A casual walk to this parcel from the nearby Crab Trap Restaurant will illustrate this in stark terms:   Litter, rubbish, used fire-rings and footprints all through the dune system that is supposed to be the protected habitat for the mouse.

As of today, sadly, Escambia County has failed to do either of the things it said it would do when it spent $ Millions on this property in 2013.  No protection for the habitat, no public beach access.

But thankfully, now we are finally seeing the forward progress that many of us have longed for and pushed for--because contrary to the fake news, false narratives proclaimed by some--- this was never political--it is and always has been about access to that beautiful beach.

So the project has now officially been socialized with The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initial plans have been drawn up that indicate 36-37 parking spots with room for emergency vehicles to access and turn around if necessary, a location and infrastructure for a permanent restroom facility to be constructed in the future has been included--and most importantly--Handicapped, accessible "mobi-mats" will be utilized at this site to allow citizens with disabilities to access this beach.  This will be Escambia County's only handicapped-accessible, free- beach access point in Perdido Key once it is constructed!

The project is going to the County's Development Review Committee in December, and will be brought back before the board for funding (which we will make available from oil-spill proceeds I believe) in January if all goes according to plan according to conversations I have had with relevant staff members.

Because this is the right thing to do, opening this beach for all of us to use.   And no matter what anyone says--we will #OpenOurBeach !