LGBT weekend granted beach permit
Pensacola News Journal 5:24 p.m. CDT May 21, 2016
Escambia County, FL
At the Thursday Escambia Commission regular meeting, the Santa Rosa Island Authority granted a special event permit to the Leave No Trace Behind Ordinance for the annual Memorial Day LGBT festivities on Pensacola Beach.
The permit allows personal items to be left on the beach overnight from May 27 to May 30 in the following designated areas only: between beach walkover 28A (dog park) to approximately ¼ mile east of beach walkover 29D, or the University of West Florida boundary. Overnight camping and campfires are not permitted.
Any organization who wishes to apply for a special event permit for a beach event to include leaving items overnight on the beach, is eligible to do so.
The SRIA issued a special event permit last weekend for the jet ski races under the same provision. To date, only one special event permit has been requested for Memorial Day weekend.
Escambia County passed the Leave No Trace Behind Ordinance in August 2015, making it illegal to leave personal property unattended on the beach after sunset without a special event permit. The Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County will continue to focus on educating visitors on the new policy, and only warnings will be issued during Memorial Weekend.
VIEW THE LEAVE NO TRACE ORDINANCE HERE
When visiting Pensacola Beach, residents and tourists are asked to:
Fill in any holes in the sand and knock down sand sculptures at day’s end to remove obstacles blocking sea turtles’ nesting activities.
Remain at a distance from nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.
Properly dispose of trash and discarded gear. Sea turtles can become entangled in old fishing nets and lines or ingest plastic bags and wrappers, mistaking them for jellyfish.
Turn out beachfront lights after dusk and close blinds and curtains in beachfront homes, condos and hotels.
Do not disturb nesting females or hatchlings by using flashlights, flash photography or lanterns at night.
Remove personal belongings from the beach at the end of each day. Items such as umbrellas, tents, beach toys and chairs left unattended on Pensacola Beach overnight will be removed and disposed of by cleaning crews each night after Memorial Weekend.