By Rep. Mayes Middleton, Chairman
Texas Freedom Caucus
We take Texas law and the Texas Constitution seriously. Over the 4th of July weekend, Texans were barred of their constitutional right to open beaches when local governments ordered them closed. We wanted you to see the letter we wrote to Commissioner Bush in response to make sure that the Open Beaches Act is enforced over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. You can see our letter by clicking here.
As the legislative session in January 2021 continues to near, you will hear more frequently from us on different policy proposals. Please watch out for these posts and remember that your input on these items is invaluable to us. We look forward to hearing from you!
[Friday, July 31, 2020]
Posted in 
The the effect of a public beach open/closed, golf carts, atvs cars, bikes, UTVs, allowed or not, on nearby businesses is not the primary concern when making decisions for the residents of the entire state of Texas regarding beach access. The sooner people accept this, the easier it will be to predict trends, and deal with the changes that are inevitable as beach area resident populations and visitors increase.
My view is that we saw a vastly improved beach aesthetic and significantly improved safety as a result of restricting beach access to golf carts and foot traffic only over the Independence Day holiday. We should be organizing to move to foot-traffic and gold carts only year round as far as I’m concerned.
Go Topless Jeep Weekend was a disaster on Crystal Beach. With that said, the decision to close the beach July 4th weekend was met with mixed reaction. It is my understanding local law enforcement (due to COVID-19) was limited in covering both Galveston and Port Bolivar beaches, thus the need of the closure or limited access to the beach. I own property at Crystal Beach and I have to admit, it was the best July 4 celebration we had in a long time! However, I am a firm believer in the law, not just when it is convenient for some and not others. Like it or not, the beach should remain open but let us hope our officials plan ahead and ensure our safety and security are met with adequate law enforcement.
I’m an advocate for open beaches but I have to admit over the July 4th weekend I did enjoy the smooth beaches to drive on in my golf cart. No ruts, no speeding cars, trucks, ATVs & UTVs. I liked the idea of letting cars & trucks bring all their canopies BBQs, beach chairs and beach toys to their place on the beach and park. Same would go for RV camping on the beach. I personally think ATV’s and off road motorcycles should not be allowed on the beach. I think UTVs should be treated the same as golf carts and could be driven to the beach with the same rules as golf carts. Just drive the speed limit, drive responsibly and respectfully and stop rutting up the beaches.
We greatly appreciate Rep Mayes Middleton supporting our hard won Texas rights, especially our open Beaches! I have been on Bolivar beaches for over 60 yrs and only God’s hurricanes have ever closed them. We did not leave the beach when told to on July 4th. It is our constitutional right as Texans. We are property owners and welcome the celebration of our Freedom!
I disagree with the beaches being open July 4 weekend. I am a property owner on the Bolivar Peninsula and some of the people using the beach the weekends before July 4 abused the beach and the private property nearby by trespassing and using the bathroom in private yards, driving over yards, and speeding on the beach. I am hoping they close the beach again for the Labor Day weekend. These folks were abusing their rights so they should not be allowed those rights. I’m sorry they spoiled it for the rest of the law abiding citizens that wanted to enjoy the beach.
Dear Sir,
You must not realize the economic impact of the beaches being closed on a holiday weekend! I’m a resident and have been for long time. As a business owner we’ve had it hard enough to surrivie the COVID-19 shut downs. Just my opinion