Minister fined for digging 1-foot hole at Florida beach

A minister is calling himself the “sand castle bandit” after a run-in with the law.

Bryant Rylee, a youth minister from Alabama, was in Panama City for spring break with his family when he was told his sand castle was violating beach rules, according to the Panama City News Herald.

Rylee used a metal hoe to dig a hole 1 foot deep, which cost him $25, according to his Facebook post.

Beach patrol told the family that metal tools were not allowed and holes can’t be deeper than 2 feet, according to the News Herald.

Rylee said he was given a chance to fill in the hole, but refused and asked officers to cite the ordinance. Police came back with the ordinance and a ticket for the metal hoe, the News Herald reported.

"We put that ordinance in effect for more serious incidents, like the sexual assaults we were having on the beach," city police chief Drew Whitman told the News Herald. "We never intended to mess up someone's sand castle. We're all for families building sand castles."

About the Author

Sarah Elsesser, Palm Beach Post

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