Residents divided over dog beach

Rusty and Luke want to run wild on the beach, ears flopping and water on their paws.

But Santa Rosa County ordinances prevent Melanie Hawkey’s dogs from running on any public property, which means no dogs on the beach.

Laws allow pet owners to walk their pets on bike paths and public rights-of-way with a leash no longer than 6 feet. Owners or handlers must clean up after their pets. Failure to do so permits officials to issue citations of $30, $60 and $100 depending on how many offenses have been made, according to County Attorney Tom Dannheisser.

For more on this story, see the Jan. 15 issue of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.