Disappearing beach

This "beach" is located about 1/2 mile north of me, on the way to downtown. It used to be a lovely little stretch of sand and was used by the locals in the summer. Turtles used to lay their eggs too. It is way too rough and dangerous to swim there in the winter.



What you see here is the continuing after effects of Hurricane Wilma, from October 2005. A lot of the rocks collapsed in on the beach, virtually wiping it out. I stopped on the cliff above it the other day and was shocked by what I saw. The rocks are continuing to crumble at an alarming rate. Where you see the telephone poles is the main road going by this section. There is only about 10 feet of land left there. I fear that one more hurricane and the road will have to be shifted more inland. Somebody tore down, stole or otherwise removed the signs advising people to stay away from the edge. Every day I see tourists in golf carts parked right on the edge! If only they realized that there is nothing under them where they park. Just a rocky outcropping waiting to fall.

This is a close up of people swimming here.




There is another tragedy involved with this beach. The property where the public path down to the beach is was sold to some gringos a few years back. They built a house over the path. And they don't understand the thing about a Federal zone and that the beaches belong to everybody. They tried for a long time in vain to stop people from walking by their house to get to the beach. Numerous private property signs. That did not work so now they have built a high cement block wall all along their property line to block access to this beach.

They have also now blocked the view of the ocean as you drive by. Some people's children...