I have lived in Brigantine for several years and now live on the mainland. I have always disagreed with beach tags. The shore towns make a lot money from tourism. In addition the shore towns receive money from all taxpayers to repair beaches. Should the shore towns be responsible for this expense? It's time to stop the tags. Let's not take advantage of out tourist.

I don't mind paying for beach tags, but I do mind paying for them when the beaches are closed due to medicinal waste washing up on shore. Three of us forgot our seasonal beach tags at our condo, so we purchased 3 daily beach tags. Shortly after getting our stuff set up, we learned that the beach was closed. We waited about a half hour to find out about when the beach would open again. The lifeguards informed us that they had no way of knowing. OK, no problem. We'll just leave the beach and get a refund for our beach tags. During that time, however, another member of our family came to join us on the beach and didn't even have to show her beach tag. When I went to the beach tag window, it was closed and there was a sign that stated as such. There was no one I could talk to regarding the beach tag, except for a lifeguard. The lifeguard suggested I come back the following morning. Someone would be in the beach tag office around 9am. I was there from 9am until 9:30am. No one showed up. We had checked out of our condo and needed to get home, so I left Ocean City. I have $15.00 worth of beach tags sitting in from of me for a beach that was closed. While checking the internet to find out how I could go about getting a refund, I read that refunds, exchanges will not be given under any circumstances. So, do you mean to tell me that I paid $15.00 for 3 little black tags! I certainly didn't pay to use the beach, SINCE I DIDN'T GET TO USE THE BEACH!!!!! This is not acceptable! You can be sure that I'm not giving up. I'm still going to try to get the refund that is OWED TO ME!! Yes, that's right! OWED TO ME!!!

Subj: Seasonal Tags
I'm all for purchasing beach tags. However seasonal tags should be made readably available to the public, starting with your website. On a recent trip to Ocean City, I stopped by the visitor's center to purchase seasonal tags. I was told, "no one brought them today, must be due to the weather." Well it was slightly overcast in the morning and the sun was shining bright in the afternoon. So, I had to drive to the boardwalk, find a parking spot, and purchase the tags. It's funny, when I entered the 17th street a beach tagger was there (despite the weather!) It's a disgrace not to have seasonal tags available at the Ocean City Visitor's center every day!

I agree with a few other people.... why charge to get on a beach? Yes, if there were lifeguards at every location along the beach I could understand the charge, however there are NOT lifeguards everywhere so I feel this is very UNFAIR.... there is enough money coming into the area in a summer, that you do not need to charge to get on a beach. This is so unbelievable. If I'm going to pay to go on a beach, then I would appreciate some entertainment, waitresses ect. Come on, you people didn't build the ocean... it was God's creation.

How about PARKING?? Would the beach tags cover that? And what about the WATER...is it clean enough?? New Jersey's water can't be that clean to ask for Beach tags !

Recently my friend and i were visiting the beach area of Strathmere which is between Sea isle and Ocean City, to my surprise a beach tager from Sea isle approached us and asked if we had tags, well of course we did not that's why we go to Strathmere not to be bothered by this, if you are going to charge people to be there i expect a lifeguard to be there also since that is what we are supposedly paying for when we buy beach tags,

Subj: unconstitutional

Beach tags are unconstitutional. The land is owned by the State from Riparian Claims. How can a municipality charge us for use?

From an Offical BeachTagger:
I will tell you a couple of funny stories...I'll start by telling you this is my 3rd year and I have seen a lot of funny things. Some of the funniest things you will see are people trying to running to the water. People will see you coming and you can hear them say "Uh oh here they come, go to the water" it's funny to watch them get up right in front of you and dart towards the water. Some other incidents are when you are asking someone that appears to be sleeping for their tag. You will see the people laugh or chuckle as you ask them. And then when you finally get them to look at you they still act like they were sleeping. Oh and of course there is the ocassional argument....some qoutes are "I don't need a beach tag" "I pay my taxes every year" "where are the lifeguards" and you have to explain it to them and read them you ordinance. There have even been the occasional situations with the cops. It's a fun job and you meet many interesting people and arguments.

My family has vacationed or owned homes in Ocean City for four generations and beach tags are part of the tradition. We understand the use of the tags for the restoration of beach property and have seen the improvement of the beaches. The town is a resort town and you can plainly see that there is not another business that supports the City as does the tourism. Maintaining this business costs the city above and beyond traditional operating expenses. Businesses bring funds to towns and Ocean City is not a thriving metropolis. I can see with my own eyes the benefit of the beach tags. The beaches are always clean, as are the town and boardwalk. There is a low crime rate and the Police are on duty. The beaches are very big compared to Maryland or Delaware. Where else can you go for an entire week for $6.00? I pay more for that to see a movie or to get into a local club in my hometown.

From an Offical BeachTagger: When I was a beachtagger, the best excuse I ever got for not having a beach tag was the "buried tag" excuse. One day in mid-August, high sand in Ocean City, older woman sitting under an umbrella wearing a black suit (significant). I asked her for her tag after noticing she was sitting there praying. She begins to tell me I don't have my beach tags because I share a house with my family and last week my brother-in-law and his wife mistakenly took the tags with them when they went home to PA. Her brother-in-law died the following week. She said she and her husband went to the funeral hoping the widow would return the tags, but they didn't feel it was appropriate to ask whether the deceased had the tags on him when he died. She wasn't sure, but she thought the tags may have been buried with the body, so she hoped she'd be able to get free replacement tags. Definitely the most original excuse I'd ever heard!

Went for a walk on the beach today (April 17, 2005). While the erosion in Ventnor is disturbing, the trash on Margate's beaches is disgusting. Why do they clean the beaches in the high season for a bunch of people who don't live here and allow it to be strewn with soda bottles, and all sorts of trash such as automobile tires, old rotten televisions and propane tanks? Margate residents have had their taxes raised every year since I have lived here (1982). The beach is a disgrace. Clean it up. thanks Barry F.

I have a REAL problem paying to get on a beach that God created - I feel that if this was a man-made ocean then it would be fine to charge people to get on a beach, but come on, we pay enough to vacation in New Jersey then we have to pay to go on the beach on top of all of the other expenses, of course I do it, but I complain EACH and EVERY year. Maybe there should be something included with the cost... maybe waitresses to take orders for Drinks and snacks, live entertainment - something, but to charge the public to sit on the beach or swim in the ocean........ SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT ABOUT THIS. Where EXACTLY does this money go?