LETTER: Don't sacrifice residential rights for noisy neighbors

After reading recent articles in some of our local newspapers regarding the proposed "noise/nuisance ordinance" for Walton County, I feel a response is necessary.

My husband and I are permanent residents in our Miramar Beach neighborhood. 

This neighborhood was established as a single family residential neighborhood in 1954. The development in this Historic Residential Preservation Neighborhood began in the 1990s.  Not only are there families who live in this neighborhood year-round, there are several large 8 to 10 bedroom rental houses. 

These houses are advertised as “group rentals.” In conjunction with the commercial rental business of these houses, our neighborhood has endured large wedding celebrations and other events with huge tents and large crowds creating disturbances with loud music late at night. 

These events have also brought large numbers of vehicles that park illegally in the streets, blocking access to our homes and potentially causing dangerous conditions by hindering emergency vehicle passage. It is not unusual for us to make complaint phone calls because of the noise (as well as calls complaining about illegally parked vehicles) to the Walton County Sheriff's Office when wedding events are being held in our neighborhood. 

It is very annoying and unfair for residents to be awakened in the middle of the night by loud noises from events of this nature.

In October 2008, the Walton County Code Enforcement Board cited a local developer who continuously violated code by operating a "commercial" wedding business on a vacant lot he owns in our residential neighborhood. The noise issue has been a problem for several years. There are more than a few homeowners concerned about this issue.

My husband and I are small business owners and readily agree that commercial business operations are imperative to the successful economic growth of our area. However, the rights of residential property owners should never be sacrificed in order to allow commercial  "wedding business" or other commercial event operations in residential neighborhoods. 

We support strong laws protecting individuals and their residential property from the infringement of commercial enterprises operating in residential neighborhoods.

A workshop will be held on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at the South Walton High School Auditorium regarding the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance.  We look forward to attending and to the development of constructive suggestions and ideas that will help resolve these issues that are of such importance to all of us.

Linda Hodges is a Miramar Beach resident.