Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Panama City Beach Spring Breakers: Fun in the Sun or Just an Underage Student Body of Scum

We have the "Gator Nation", the "Roll Tide" and the "Bull Dogs". Well, sorry, but after three days of more than 60 institutions (Spring Break 2010 College & University Dates) of higher learning descending on our beautiful beaches, I can only title this group at our condo as "the Student Body of Scum"....or "Scum Nation".
You see I live at Laketown Wharf and while this development has had its financial woes, it is actually a beautiful location with beautiful pools, green areas, and a boardwalk surrounding a protected piece of wetland. This complex provides long term rentals at an affordable price and a million dollar view. You can imagine the disgust we "long termers" feel towards the absolute destruction of our property by underage, undereducated binge drinkers with no respect for property, who have invaded our domain. How the majority of these weekly breakers are able to rent a condo and not only be under the age of twenty five, but worse, underage, is beyond my pay grade, but that's exactly what has happened.
Do the Charlie Hiltons of the beach think that throwing fire extinguishers from the 20th floor at security, alternately peeing and puking in the elevators, date rape charges and cocaine drug busts nightly, is worth keeping "heads in beds"? But at what price? If that's what our community represents than this is definitely not the area the Southwest Airlines was seeking.
Speaking of Mr. Hilton and his ilk, I have biked by the Frank Lloyd Wright style, 9000 square foot home in Alys Beach owned by Charlie Hilton and I have taken pictures for our grandkids. We like to call it "Iron man House" because it looks a lot like Tony's digs from the movie. It makes me wonder if Mr. Hilton would be happy to walk through throw up, hundreds of beer cans, urinated rugs in the elevator and trash everywhere?

Charlie Hilton's "Iron Man" home"
Don't misunderstand my message. The maintenance and security at Laketown Wharf are doing the best possible job under the circumstances. What needs to change is the tolerance for this behavior which the CVC/TDC ( Convention andVisitor Bureau/Tourist Development Council) and some resort owners allow in exchange for their scum dollars while selling out our beautiful pristine beach and ignoring the citizens of Panama City Beach who call this area home.
Similar to Hilton of Holiday Inn Sunspree, is the attitude held by Bay County Commissioner, Mike Thomas, who won't even consider additional economic support for the Bay Town Trolley, which is the best service to come by way of our beach in years. The trolley actually puts us in the lead of community services over the 30A area and Destin. Imagine that!
So why write an editorial if you have no solution? I won't do that. The only solution for those of you who love the beach, the Bay Town Trolley and the progress of this community is to demand a leadership change: sooner not later. Fun in the Sun for spring breakers is old school, reminiscent of "Where the Boys Are", which is a far cry from the Scum Nation which now rules. Spring Break2011 has to go.

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