Its officially beach season and as families flock to the coasts for some fun in the sun, one beach destination is putting a damper on those who plan to really dig in the sand.
The City of Holmes Beach in Florida has recently passed a rule this summer that states, “No holes on beach.”
According to what Holmes Beach City Commissioner Carol Whitmore told
Fox 13
, the rule has been put in place to protect both beach goers and wildlife.
“People aren’t listening. They’re on vacation, they’re not thinking and, unfortunately, we have to think about the people [then] coming to the beach after they leave,” said Whitmore. “We have to think about their safety.”
The ordinance states that, “no person shall dig holes in the sandy gulf beach deeper than one (1) foot.” It also bans “metal shovels” such as gardening tools.
Children’s toy shovels and plastic shovels are still permitted.
“We almost had a [person] fall into a gigantic hole that nobody covered up. It’s a safety issue,” Whitmore added.
The new rule comes after an incident that happened in 2024, where a young girl died after falling into a nearly six-foot hole in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, with the sand collapsing on her.
The large holes are also hazardous to wildlife, especially sea turtles.
“These holes can be 3 to 6 feet deep, and then they leave and don’t cover them back up. We’ve got photos of our turtles getting caught in the holes, and they can’t survive,” Whitmore said.
To combat the issue, the National Ocean Service says on its website that beachgoers can “help sea turtle mothers and their offspring improve their chances of survival” by filling holes made in the sand.
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