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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