Okaloosa County BOCC — November 4, 2012 — Action Item Printout

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: December 18, 2012 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: John Hofstad SUBJECT: Public Hearing: Revisions to Ordinance 08-06 County Recreation Areas DEPARTMENT: Public Works BCC DISTRICT: All STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Public hearing to solicit comments, both for and against, various proposed revisions to Ordinance 08-06 County Recreation Areas. BACKGROUND and ANALYSIS: With the assistance of Growth Management, Code Enforcement, Beach Safety, the Sheriff’s Office, the Tourist Development Department, the Parks Division and the County Attorney, revisions to Ordinance 08-06 County Recreation Areas are being presented in several areas as follows:  Prohibiting the abandoning of personal property items on the beach from midnight to 8:00 a.m. CST  Prohibiting setup of rental items by Qualified Beach Vendors until after 8:00 a.m.  Revising the prohibitions of overnight camping to allow overnight camping in posted parks only  Prohibiting fires or open flames except as permitted  Revising definitions  Providing beach wedding guidelines For the past several years staff has received numerous complaints concerning personal property left overnight on the County public beaches. These obstructions interfere with beach maintenance and cleaning, security, beach patrols, and interfere with the public’s access, use, and enjoyment of the beaches. The items pose potential safety hazards, present obstructions for endangered wildlife species, and adversely affect beach aesthetics which in turn affects the economic interests of the County’s tourism industry. Several of our neighboring counties including Walton, Santa Rosa, Bay, and Escambia have taken or are in the process of implementing similar measures through ordinance revisions to reduce this activity. In addition, Okaloosa County is under a Federal requirement (FWS No. 04EF3000-2012-TA-0279) to ensure that items are not allowed to remain on County beaches overnight which may affect the nesting patterns of various endangered species. OPTIONS: Approve/Disapprove revisions to Ordinance 08-06 County Recreation Areas. RECOMMENDATION: Staff requests BCC approval for the proposed revisions to Ordinance 08-06 County Recreation Areas. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: James D. Curry, County Administrator