Litter on our beach, pay $500 fine.

Last week the Beach City Council changed the way it enforces “beach litter” on Panama City Beach. Before, as long as the trash was picked up within 24 hours, it was ok. Now, property owners can be fined if any trash is found on their property – period- regardless of how long it has been there. The only check in place is that the decision has to be made with “common-sense.”

This new ordinance would require that property owners continuously police the beach to ensure that it is clean so as to prevent fines. The baseline penalty for each infraction is $250 per day.

I think that the spirit behind this decision is well intended, but I’m not so sure this is the way a clean beach campaign should be carried out. I was talking to a friend the other day, who is a beachfront property owner that was outraged at this decision. Her argument was that if beachgoers trash the beach in front of her condo building, but are not actually occupying a residence there, why should the condo community be held liable for their littering? I can see how this could be applicable to a larger beachfront resort or club when the majority of the trash left behind would be a result of their concerted efforts, but what about the little guy? If I own a beachfront house next to a public beach access, why should I have to pay a fine when someone else trashes the beach behind my home?

I think we’re close, but not there yet. I agree that someone needs to be held accountable for the trash, but I think I’m going to side with the property owners this time, even though I don’t always agree with what they are trying to do (talking more to the big clubs, etc.). I believe by telling the property owners that they need to keep their property clean regardless or they get fined, we are NOT moving in the direction of telling the offenders that they are in the wrong by putting the trash on the ground in the first place. By doing this, we are simply continuing to encourage visitors to our area to litter, enforcing the attitude, “Don’t worry, just throw your trash on the ground, someone will come by and pick it up later.”

Will fining the property owners work in deterring trash build-up on our beaches? I think so, but it sends the wrong message, and that’s the point. Plus, it is only a batch over a gaping hole, when in actuallity a whole new pair of jeans is needed. What’s the right message? We need to convey to visitors of our area that they can be on vacation from school or work, but not their civic responsibility of keeping the environment clean. They aren’t allowed to throw trash on the ground at home, and they shouldn’t be allowed to throw trash on the ground here.

So, what do I propose? I thought you’d never ask. I propose that we keep the same ordinance in place (sorry owners) but it needs to be more specific, plus we need to fine those that are littering our beaches with their waste.

For the property owners

If you are a club or resort
- You must have staff present and visible during activities cleaning and picking up trash where reasonable (obviously staff couldn’t be expected to be in the middle of 15,000 people at a concert)
- If staff is not present or some sort of cleanup process is not taking place, then the property owner is given a warning, then fined if the problem is not taken care of by the same time the next day.
- You are required to hand out a beach awareness flier that not only includes information about the flag system but also informs their guests of the penalties and fine associated with littering. This flyer would also inform them that there are xx number of trash receptacles on the beach for trash disposal and plastic bags available at no charge to them available at the front desk (provided by the city/tdc).
If you are a private property owner (beach front residence single family or attached or residence only condo development)
- If significant amount of trash is found behind residence, the owner is given a warning with the opportunity to verbally dispute. If an agreement was made that the trash was the result of someone other than the owner, then the owner is not held liable.

For the Visitors to our area

If you litter on the beach and are caught, you’ll be given a $500 fine. This includes cigarette butts. This rule would be enforced using common sense.
When you check in to a condo or hotel, you’ll be given a flier notifying you of this and you will have the option of taking plastic bags with you to the beach should you feel that walking back and forth from your post on the beach to the trash receptical for every beer can is not worth your time.
You’ll be expected to keep your area clean with trash in a plastic bag, not laying about to be cleaned up at the end of the day.
Obviously, this law would be enforced within reason. If there are 15,000 people at a concert behind Boardwalk, patrons couldn’t be expected to be walking around with plastic bags.

Does a $500 fine sound steep? Well, Don’t Mess with the Beach. TDC, you can have that slogan free of charge from me. The problem is that our visitors think they can just throw the trash on the ground and someone else will clean up after them. We have to change this message and make it clear that it is never ok to leave your garbage on the beach. This is our most valued asset, but no one would know it because the rules we have in place don’t reflect that.

As part of the marketing campaign that the TDC is putting on, we need to allocate a budget to put up billboards, print flyers, advertise on web sites (mine please) that we are serious about keeping our beach clean. We need to hire FloRida to sing a music video about putting trash in its place and play it on local TV stations for all to see that come to our area. And, lastly, and certainly most importantly, we need to give officers the ticketing authority to go out and enforce this. If we need to hire people that can do this, it will be well worth the effort. We will make money off this immediately, but in the long-term, that money will slowly go away, as people realize that we don’t play around with litterers.

The eventual effect will be that people, when they think of our area, will remember that we value our beach greatly and that littering here is out of the question. Some will be deterred by this and won’t come anymore, and we’re better off that way, as they are dirty and disrespectful. Others will tell everyone they know about the great beautiful place they visit every year called Panama City Beach and that it never has trash on its beaches. Our area will be virtually trash free because the burden of responsibility will not be too large as the burden will rest on those that are creating it on an individual basis.

thoughts?

TDC Issues Trash Letter to Industry, City Backs It

As part of the initiative to formalize the actions taken by the TDC during this month’s regularly scheduled board meeting, Dan Rowe, President of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau and Marty McDaniel, Chairman of the TDC signed a letter sent out to local tourism industry partner businesses. The letter explains the increase in trash receptacles and asks for support in keeping our beaches clean.

The letter in full:

Dear Tourism Industry Partner:

Expressing its ongoing commitment to the future of Panama City Beach, the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC) adopted a Strategic Plan. That Plan focuses on developing Panama City Beach into a year-round destination, promoting our world-class beaches and enhancing each visitor’s experience. For each of these initiatives outlined in the Plan, we MUST continue to protect and preserve Panama City Beach’s primary natural resource and attraction – the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the sugar-white sands of our shorelines.

To further our ability to beautify, protect and market our beach, last week the TDC Board of Directors took action by earmarking an additional $250,000 to enhance our annual “Keep the Beaches Clean” Campaign. These additional funds will support immediate tactics that address the overwhelming increase of visitors and traffic our beaches experience during the spring and summer months, as well as long term strategies that focus on public awareness and year-round maintenance and upkeep.

Effective immediately, the TDC increased the number of trash receptacles on the beach from 578 to 778 barrels. During Spring Break, an additional 200 barrels were deployed in heavily trafficked areas of the beach. The TDC also authorized our beach maintenance contractor to increase the number of times the beach is raked throughout the year, including the daily raking of impacted areas during Spring Break and immediately following peak holidays. Additionally, the TDC is investigating, and is considering different alternatives for providing biodegradable trash bags at public beach points as part of this campaign.

As important as the TDC’s efforts are, the businesses located on the beachfront share in the responsibility of picking up trash behind their respective places of business. Last week the City Council of the City of Panama City Beach asked us to include with this letter the portion of the current litter prevention ordinance which requires owners along the corridors most travelled by tourists to keep their property free of litter (Chapter 12, Garbage and Trash, Section 12-7). The City has asked us to remind everyone in the City that this Section carries a baseline civil penalty of $250 per day. If you have specific questions about this ordinance, please contact Panama City Beach Code Enforcement.

We strongly encourage each of you to join the TDC in improving, protecting and maintaining the beaches by picking up the trash behind your property. With your support and partnership, we can protect and preserve the unparalleled beauty of Panama City Beach for locals and visitors to enjoy each day of the year.

To read the ordinances, download the full letter with the ordinances included here.

I think this is a good move. Not specifically talking about the $250 mentioned above, but I don’t think the penalty is severe enough for litterers. Growing up in Texas, there were state-wide advertising campaigns encouraging people to put “trash in its place.” “Don’t Mess With Texas,” I think they even commissioned Willie Nelson to write a song and make a music video. In Plano, there were fines of $500 doled out when you threw trash out of your window. It was considered a serious offense, and growing up in that type of environment has distilled in me that littering is wrong. To this day, I don’t even throw as much as a bubble gum wrapper out of my window.

Spring Break is nasty, but this goes way beyond Spring Break. This comes down to keeping our whole area clean, ALL THE TIME. I think this is a step in the right direction with regards to our tourist activities, but the City needs to step up and increase the litter fines and beef up the enforcement. This is a win-win scenario (except for those inconsiderate enough to litter) – the City creates a way to increase revenue, and the community as a whole benefits from a cleaner Panama City Beach. I’m not usually for expanding government in any way, but some times some things are just necesary.

9/2/08 TDC/CVB: Budget Approved Without Any Changes

8 of the 9 board members were present for the special meeting that was called last Friday. Absent was Mike Nelson. Public attendance was probably the smallest it has been in the last year. It’s anyone’s guess whether this was due to the unusual scheduling of the meeting, a lack of public interest, or the public just agreeing with the priorities of the TDC/CVB as set out in the budget.

The board unanimously approved the FY 2009 budget which begins on October 1st. The budgets were accepted as proposed by staff and no motions were made suggesting any changes. Final approval will now be up to the Bay County Commission which is scheduled to take up the matter on Setember 16^th.

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