PCB moving to ban beach tents after sunset as it copies Walton Leave No Trace policy
January 26, 2010 1:55 PM
By PAT KELLY, Florida Freedom Newspapers
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The city is moving forward to ban the overnight use of sand tents – or canopies – along the beach.
City Council members approved a new ordinance this month that would require all personal property to be removed from the beach overnight, beginning one hour after sunset.
The approval came on the first reading of the ordinance, so the issue will come up again for final approval. Mayor Gayle Oberst said Monday that the new rules should be in place by the beginning of Spring Break.
“It was really needed for a couple of reasons,” Oberst said. “They were really interfering with cleaning and raking the beach. They also confused the nesting sea turtles, which we have to always be concerned with.”
The ordinance would not only ban unattended beach tents overnight, but also other “tangible personal property” such as cabanas, volleyball nets, beach chairs, floats and other watercraft.
The issue came to a head last summer when city officials counted over 700 of the tents on the beach within the city limits in one evening, Oberst said.
The ordinance — similar to a “Leave No Trace” ordinance in Walton County — says the city can remove any personal property found two hours after sunset and dispose of the property within 72 hours.
Exemptions are included for trash containers, lifeguard stands and beach chairs used in lawful beach commerce, such as the many venders which provide services for Panama City Beach tourists.
To reclaim the property, an owner would have to show proof of ownership and pay a removal and storage fee.
City officials say the proliferation of tents last year not only hindered emergency services but obstructed maintenance crews, confused nesting sea turtles and posed a danger from the tents blowing around during high winds.
“If it was just a few it would be different,” Oberst said. “But people were just leaving them on the beach, often just to mark their spot.”
Maintenance crews have only a short time each morning and early evening to rake the sand and pick up trash along the beach, officials said.
Once the ordinance is given final approval, Oberst said city officials will write a letter to resorts and condo associations, informing them of the action.
“It will be an education process for all the clerks and resort employees,” she said.
