Ponte Vedra (Beach) (Jacksonville, Plantation, Melbourne: foreclosures, condo, house)

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by lokahi

I disagree with not allowing the public access to the beaches down in PVB. The beach is not owned by anyone, let alone those living in gated communities.

I believe Ponte Vedra Beach actually has 12-14 public beach access points, they are just not all well marked and don't have parking lots in front of them like Jacksonville Beach.

[Highlands/PVBeach]

Originally Posted by OysterCatcher

"Many of the people living in our gated community in PV Beach live in another location in the winter" Really? Why does PVB not have a pleasant winter? Where do they go?

Sorry, I meant to say they go someplace else in the summer. It was late, I must have been tired. Some of the people from the midwest go to lake houses back home for the summer. Some people from here go to the mountains of North Carolina or North Georgia like we do for the summer.

It gets hot here in the summer -- especially July and August, but not as hot as it gets in town. Ponte Vedra (the Jacksonville Beaches generally) is usually 8-10 degrees cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than Jacksonville.

Some residence just plan to travel in cooler climates if they can during that time. One year we went to the Canadian Rockies and Alaska, one year to Seattle, etc.

[Highlands/PVBeach]

Originally Posted by moving123456

I believe Ponte Vedra Beach actually has 12-14 public beach access points, they are just not all well marked and don't have parking lots in front of them like Jacksonville Beach.

There has been lots of controversy about this. A group of mostly surfers has been fighting for more clearly marked beach access and more parking on the street. There are access points but no parking public parking along Ponte Vedra Boulevard and A1A is very restrictive.

There is a big parking lot and public beach access at Micklers Landing and A1A and also at Guana State Park, a beautiful deserted preserve with access and parking between Valano Beach and Ponte Vedra, but closer to Ponte Vedra. It also includes the Guana River with canoe and kayaking, fishing, etc.

[lokahi]

So basically, unless you live in the area, you can't park there and go to the beach, which is why I mentioned that I disagree with the restrictions on beach access in PVB. The beach doesn't belong to anyone, it belongs to all of us.

[jsimms3]

well with all the other public access points that are clearly marked and have parking in Jax Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, 2 points in Ponte Vedra Beach, Hannah Park, Guana Reserve, Talbot, pretty much everwhere else, you would think there is already enough "highly public" beach that some people, including the poster above are crying for. In my humble opinion, the argument about more public access in Ponte Vedra Beach seems to be more of an argument of "fairness" and against the wealthy that have attained enough wealth to live on the beach there. If you want crowded beaches, well you got'em already, and if you want secluded beaches, you have that, too. I do not think people would be complaining if Ponte Vedra Blvd were not as "ritzy" as it is. None of our beaches are THAT crowded, not like beaches to our south, and we all have what we want already. The sand and waves in Ponte Vedra are not that different from most of the other beaches. I know plenty of surfers and most of them have come to a concensus that the best surfing spots are very public already, i.e. the Poles near the Jetties, the Pier, and St. Augustine Beach. Just look at some of the people you have said are spearheading the effort to mandate that PVB be more "public." Surfers. I do not know if this is really a group in this effort, but if it is, many surfers are "chill hippy" type people that are "against authority" and at peace with everything. Class warfare type of people. Obviously not all surfers are this way, having grown up in Jax, however, and before you attack me for making these remarks, take a step back and look at reality. Many surfers in the teens and twenties are that way, undeniably. Besides, there are three private clubs in PVB where the beach in front is unstatedly for club member access. As a member of one of these clubs, it is common knowledge that you can only use its services as a paying member, so there is really no point for the general public, who are not members, to specifically target that beach area for their enjoyment. So parts of PVB are technically private access only. If you go anywhere else in FL, the same scenario occurs. This is not a new phenomenon. If we want to attract corporations with their high powered CEO's and chairmen, I'm sure they are going to want to live in a more exclusive area with some privacy. It takes all kinds to make the world go round.

To conclude, imho, while public beach access is great (hence why Atlantic Beach is one of my favorites), that is not a sufficient argument in PVB's case, and the argument is not really about access at all. There are so many under utilized beach access points that it is silly to say, "I only want to go to PVB, but there is no access, so I guess I cannot enjoy the beach like I should."

[jenbak17]

Thanks for your insight. We are thinking about buying a second home in PVB and unless we buy something with private beach access or join a club ...as owners of a home in old ponte vedra or frankly anywhere else in PVB,we would have difficulty...especially with parking...having a day at the beach. We looked at a couple of places right on the blvd across the street for the beach...but no convenient beach access. It is kind of discouraging. It is a beautiful town..however.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by lokahi

So basically, unless you live in the area, you can't park there and go to the beach, which is why I mentioned that I disagree with the restrictions on beach access in PVB. The beach doesn't belong to anyone, it belongs to all of us.

The beach access is not restricted, the parking is resticted. Parking lots do not belong to all of us.

[palenciacondo]

Originally Posted by moving123456

The beach access is not restricted, the parking is resticted. Parking lots do not belong to all of us.

This is exactly correct. Anyone can be on the beaches, the problem lies with parking your vehicle. A membership at the Cabana Club is worth every penny to me for this reason.

[riveree]

I'm not a surfer, but I know the riptides are strong at Guana and Vilano, which is probably why there aren't a lot of surfers there.

I don't like how the lack of access chops up the beach. Everyone should not have to cramp into the Jacksonville beaches or travel all the way down to Guana or Mickler - we should have a consistent flow of access all along the ocean. Taking a big chunk of access (PVB) and essentially privatizing it is not cool, IMO.

The same have been done to the river. There are big stretches along the river with nothing but private homes and no river access for miles.

It's a lack of foresight for the most part, and a lack on behalf of our city leaders that they don't make more of an effort for their citizens who are not fortunate enough to live directly on the ocean or the river.

[surferr]

Originally Posted by jsimms3

well with all the other public access points that are clearly marked and have parking in Jax Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, 2 points in Ponte Vedra Beach, Hannah Park, Guana Reserve, Talbot, pretty much everwhere else, you would think there is already enough "highly public" beach that some people, including the poster above are crying for. In my humble opinion, the argument about more public access in Ponte Vedra Beach seems to be more of an argument of "fairness" and against the wealthy that have attained enough wealth to live on the beach there. If you want crowded beaches, well you got'em already, and if you want secluded beaches, you have that, too. I do not think people would be complaining if Ponte Vedra Blvd were not as "ritzy" as it is. None of our beaches are THAT crowded, not like beaches to our south, and we all have what we want already. The sand and waves in Ponte Vedra are not that different from most of the other beaches. I know plenty of surfers and most of them have come to a concensus that the best surfing spots are very public already, i.e. the Poles near the Jetties, the Pier, and St. Augustine Beach. Just look at some of the people you have said are spearheading the effort to mandate that PVB be more "public." Surfers. I do not know if this is really a group in this effort, but if it is, many surfers are "chill hippy" type people that are "against authority" and at peace with everything. Class warfare type of people. Obviously not all surfers are this way, having grown up in Jax, however, and before you attack me for making these remarks, take a step back and look at reality. Many surfers in the teens and twenties are that way, undeniably. Besides, there are three private clubs in PVB where the beach in front is unstatedly for club member access. As a member of one of these clubs, it is common knowledge that you can only use its services as a paying member, so there is really no point for the general public, who are not members, to specifically target that beach area for their enjoyment. So parts of PVB are technically private access only. If you go anywhere else in FL, the same scenario occurs. This is not a new phenomenon. If we want to attract corporations with their high powered CEO's and chairmen, I'm sure they are going to want to live in a more exclusive area with some privacy. It takes all kinds to make the world go round.

To conclude, imho, while public beach access is great (hence why Atlantic Beach is one of my favorites), that is not a sufficient argument in PVB's case, and the argument is not really about access at all. There are so many under utilized beach access points that it is silly to say, "I only want to go to PVB, but there is no access, so I guess I cannot enjoy the beach like I should."

__________________

"chill hippy" type people ? Nice...
sorry to hear about your boy McCain losing js.