Grayton Beach area, Walton County Ordinances and Info
These are excerpts from Walton County Ordinances, NOT complete Ordinances. For the complete ordinances, contact Walton County officials, also see: http://www.co.walton.fl.us
For a current and complete copy call 892-8115, ext. 248.Sec. 22-32. Vehicles on beaches.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or cause to be driven an unauthorized vehicle on the beaches of the county.
(b) For purposes of this section, public beaches shall be defined as that area lying seaward of the existing coastal construction setback line as established by the state department of
natural resources. The county is given the right to make rules and regulations governing such beaches under the provisions of F.S. ch. 161.
(c) Before any four-wheel drive vehicle shall be allowed on the designated limited access on the public beaches of the county described in this section, a permit must be obtained for the vehicle in the form of a decal, and a permit must be obtained for each individual driver of the vehicle, from the board of county commissioners.
(d) Permits for the use of vehicles along the designated limited access on the beaches of the county shall be issued to county residents and landowners in the county only, unless a variance is granted as provided in this section.
(e) As used in this section, the term "resident" shall mean citizens of the county who can show proof of their residency by a current voter's registration card or any other reasonable means establishing residency
and approved by the board of county commissioners. Land ownership shall be determined by copies of tax receipts or any other reasonable method approved by the board of county commissioners or its authority.
(f) All applications for a permit must be accompanied by a photograph showing the front and side view of the motor vehicle for which the permit is sought.
(g) All vehicle permits issued shall be in the form of an appropriate decal, which must be
conspicuously displayed upon the rear window or the rear of the motor vehicle for which the permit is granted. In addition, the driver of the permitted vehicle must show, upon request, his individual permit allowing him to drive along the designated limited access.
(h) The designated limited access permit described in this section shall cost the sum of $25.00 per driver. One decal (vehicle permit) shall be issued at no cost for each vehicle authorized to use the limited
access, unless a variance is granted to an out-of-county resident or non-landowner, in which event the permit shall cost the sum of $50.00 per driver.
(i) Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be punished as provided in section 1-6.
(j) The speed limit of authorized vehicles along the designated limited access on the public beaches of the county shall be 15 miles per hour.
(k) Any reckless driving along the
designated limited access on the public beaches shall constitute a violation of this section.
(l) Conviction for violation of this section shall result in automatic revocation of the vehicle permit.
(m) All permits issued shall be valid for a period of one year, and permits will expire on June 1 of each year.Sec. 5-32. Dogs on the beach.
(a) All dogs shall be prohibited from public beaches of Walton County except as provided below:
(1) Dogs assisting those who are sight and hearing impaired or service animals; or
(2) Dogs owned by Walton County real property owners or permanent residents who have obtained a permit and who maintain the animal on a leash. The permit will allow leashed dogs on the beach between the hours of 6:00 p.m.
and 8:00 a.m. of the following day during daylight savings time and between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. of the following day during non-daylight savings time. Any Walton County real property owner or permanent resident desiring a permit shall be required to pay a $25.00 fee. The permit authorized herein shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of purchase. Proof of rabies vaccination must be presented prior to obtaining a permit.
(3) Owners of dogs shall be responsible for pick up of their dogs' waste. Sec. 22-40. Regulation of use and conduct on the beach.
(a) Possession of glass containers prohibited. It shall beunlawful for any person while on the beach or beach access areas to possess any glass bottle or container.
(b) Fires.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or other legal entity to ignite or maintain, or participate in the maintenance of, a bonfire or campfire seaward of the vegetation line and the Gulf of Mexico in Walton County, Florida, without a permit as provided herein. No fires will be allowed within 200 feet of a marked turtle nest.
(2) It shall also be unlawful and a violation of the ordinance for a person to
fail to clean up as provided herein.
(3) All open fires shall be limited in size to three feet by three feet by six inches, and only combustible material free of nails, glass, and other potentially dangerous items may be used in any fire.
(4) All persons desiring to obtain a 24-hour permit for a fire on public or private land within the areas described herein above shall apply for a 24-hour permit from the South Walton Sheriff's Department
Substation. All applications for permits shall set forth in detail the full name and address of the applicant, the date and time the fire is to be set, the kind or type of fire to be set, the materials to be burned, the specific location of the fire, the safeguards to be taken to protect the public and other property from injury and such other information as may be prescribed by the Walton County Sheriff's Department Substation, which shall prescribe the form of the application and
furnish such application forms to applicants upon request.
(5) The fee for the issuance of the daily permit shall be $50.00, with a refundable deposit of $25.00 for the cost of site cleanup. The deposit for a 24-hour permit shall be refundable by mail, upon the filing of a certification by the Walton County Sheriff's Department Substation that the site of the fire has been cleared of any nails, glass, metal, charcoal or any other materials, trash and debris.
(6) Permits shall not be issued when the Walton County Sheriff's Department Substation has good reason to believe that the proposed fire will endanger the public health, safety, welfare or other people or property, or when the Division of Forestry issues a no burn order.
(7) Issuance of a permit by the county shall not excuse or relieve the applicant from any liability or responsibility for damages which may result from carelessness or neglect in
setting, starting, looking after or guarding a fire.
(c) Overnight camping prohibited. It shall be unlawful to camp overnight on the beach.
(d) Fishing. It shall be unlawful for any person while on the beach or within 1,000 feet from shore to intentionally fish for sharks or to fish by those methods commonly known as "chumming" or "blood baiting."
(e) Swimming. No person except a person actually engaged in a rescue attempt shall:
(1) Swim or bathe within 150 feet measured in any direction from a pier or jetty, in the Gulf of Mexico;
(2) Swim or bathe in any area posted exclusively for vessel and/or sailcraft use.
(f) Use of rafts, floats, and other flotation devices. No person shall:
(1) Use any raft, float, body board, or other
flotation device of any description, except for a vessel or sailcraft, more than 500 feet from the water's edge.
(g) Operation of a vehicle, vessel, or sailcraft while intoxicated. No person shall operate a vehicle, vessel, or sailcraft of any description, whether motorized or not, surf or otherwise use any other equipment in the Gulf of Mexico or the Choctawhatchee Bay when under the influence of any alcoholic beverage, or any chemical substance as set forth in
Florida Statutes, to the extent that the person's normal faculties are impaired.
(h) Use of aircraft on beach or adjoining water prohibited. No person shall operate an aircraft, including seaplanes or ultra lights, on or from the beach or the water within 750 feet of the water's edge.
(i) Sound amplification. No audio device, such as loudspeakers, television, radio, compact disc, tape, or record player, or musical instrument, except equipment
used by law enforcement, rescue or beach safety personnel, will be used on the beach in any manner, that can be heard by a person using normal hearing facilities, at a distance of 100 feet or more from the source of the sound without a special permit approved by the Board of County Commissioners, Walton County, Florida, for a fee of $25.00 per occurrence.
(j) Breach of the peace; disorderly conduct. No person shall commit such acts as are of a nature to corrupt the public
morals, or outrage the sense of public decency, or affect the peace and quiet of persons who may witness them, or engage in brawling or fighting, or engage in such conduct as to constitute a breach of the peace or disorderly conduct.
(k) Removal of beach sand. No beach sand may be removed from the beach.
(l) Litter. It shall be unlawful for any person to discard or otherwise dispose of or abandon any trash, garbage, bottles, containers, cans, dead
fish or parts thereof, charcoal briquettes or ashes, or any other litter, except in designated containers for that purpose. It is further unlawful to dispose of any household garbage on the beach.
(m) Soliciting or canvass. It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or canvass on the beach. |
