At yesterday's public forum--multiple passionate speakers demanded action from the board of county commissioners on public beach access on Perdido Key.
Currently, out on Perdido Key, there are only three small public beach access points where beach visitors can park and visit the beach free of charge. These are very small, and all around the public access points are condominium owners that have cordoned off the rest of the beach from public use.
Public Beach access #1 only has about 60 feet of beachfront and there are police on either side enforcing "no trespassing" signs.
Meanwhile, back in 2013, the county purchased a large piece of property out on Perdido Key just East of the Crab Trap. It has 300 feet of beach frontage. It was purchased with $2.3 Million in Federal Grant money to assist with Beach Mouse Habitat. An additional $787,000.00 in County money (LOST funds) was put into the purchase price ($3.1 Million total) to provide for Public Beach Access.
Sadly, this site has been locked-up and inaccessible to the public for going on 5 years!
On March 8th, I asked about this property and why it was locked up. Folks had asked me about it so when we discussed the restore act projects I asked questions of D2 about this property. I did not receive a satisfactory answer so I did some additional research on the issue and requested documentation from the staff. I received the data, I read the data, and Long story short, we can utilize this property for dual purposes--mouse habitat and public beach access. We just have to muster the will to do it and we have to fund the project. Contrary to what some say about me online--I do my research. And this issue is no different than any other issue I study and research. Because of the
interest the public has now expressed in this project- I intend to make this a special and continuing area of study and research until we are able to #OpenOurBeach
Grant money has been sought to build out the site--however this process has dragged-on and the money has not materialized.
Some are claiming this is a political issue--it's not.
It's a transparency issue and an access issue.
$3.1 Million in taxpayer dollars have been utilized to purchase this property, and for this all the "general public" has received for this is a locked gate and a "no trespassing" sign.
Meanwhile -get this- owners of nearby condominiums continue to walk across their own private, locked dune walkover boardwalk and they use our publicly funded 300' of Gulf-front beach as their own "private beach"
I can't make this stuff up....
This situation will be addressed at our next Committee Of The Whole meeting on August 9th 2018.
I'm told there are citizens that are right now, actively working to raise money, volunteers, and resources to contribute toward the efforts to #OpenOurBeach! This is just awesome. I look forward to getting this open in a way that respects all Federal rules and regulations.
3 comments:
Bravo Commissioner! About time and you should have at least 3 more on your side...
I love you..
Please tell more about the efforts for funding. It is on the RESTORE MYIP. Can you get those funds? Could D2 discretionary funds be used? The commissioner has CLEARLY stated he did not want them and it is a slush fund. This would be a perfect use for them. It could buy a porta potty. Gravel parking and Wood walkway until the RESTORE grant from page 16 on the Multi year implementation Plan submitted to the US treasury in Sept of 2017. Yeah D2 discretionary. He votes 4 to 1 let him put his $ where his mouth is.
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