Sand Castle Enforcement

Our state troopers have been in the news recently for being a bit overzealous (kicking people's heads in, ramming them with cars - the usual Sweeney stuff). Not to be outdone, our local police have now hit the headlines. From today's Post & Courier:

Arm of law might reach sand castles
IOP considering fines if structures not toppled
By Jessica Johnson

ISLE OF PALMS — Building in the sand is free, but beach lovers who leave their castles behind could soon pay the price.

Under a new proposal, beachcombers could get a $128 to $500 ticket for not flattening sand castles and not filling in holes when they're through. City leaders intend to discuss the proposal more in the next month.

Todd Brower, a vacationer from North Carolina who sculpted a mound of sand with a spade on Friday, found the proposal ludicrous.

"I'd laugh at them," Brower said. "I've never heard of such a thing.

"If I was fined for leaving a hole, I would never come back," he said. "I'd just go to Sullivan's Island."

Palan Lussier, a part-time resident of Ohio who read about the city's potential law, found it equally ridiculous.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said as her children rolled in a hole nearby.

"Someone has too much time on their hands," Lussier's husband Steve said. "Police have got better things to do than sand castle enforcement."

Police and Mayor Mike Sottile said enforcement would be nearly impossible. They would have to watch the creation from start to finish and then catch its sculptors as they walk away.

Isle of Palms City Councilman Ryan Buckhannon, who sits on the public safety committee that formulated the law's first draft, said the provision is part of a bigger proposal aimed at stopping droves of tourists from leaving items and large holes behind.

"It's a disposable world now," he said.

Tourists often abandon their tents, coolers and surfboards for others to enjoy. The proposed law would require people to pick up after themselves and knock over sand castles before leaving the area.

Buckhannon said the holes are the real problem. A police officer recently fell into a hole and twisted an ankle. Councilman Michael Loftus said he knows of others who have done the same while walking the beach at night.

For the Lussiers, falling into a pit is a risk worth taking if it means saving sand castles.
"That's what flashlights are for," Steve Lussier said.

Over on neighboring Sullivan's Island, Town Administrator Andy Benke said the council may re- establish a citizens beach committee that might address similar issues in the near future.

Farther down the coast, Folly Beach regulates dogs and vendors on its beach, but sand castles? Never, Zoning Administrator Aaron Pope said. Folly also is one of the few beaches where drinking alcohol is allowed, Pope said.