It has been over a decade since Ivan brought a path of destruction and havoc across the Gulf Coast region of the United States, leaving the coastal town of Gulf Shores a literal wreck. Rebuilding took place, visitors returned, property value and employment increased tremendously, then the housing market crashed, and BP stained our white beaches with black oil. Over the past five years, however, we have cleaned up our beaches, and the housing market has mostly recovered. We have seen millions invested in our area of Alabama, and recently Gulf Shores was named one of America's top 21 beaches. Baldwin County, fueled by the beach-going visitors to our area, has received nearly $4 billion in tourist spending while welcoming four million tourists last year. This growth is great for every single person in the cities along the coast, the county and the state. However, there is little doubt that the short-sighted policy of banning alcohol on the beach during Spring Break in 2017 will lead to significant decreases in both record numbers of visitors, historic tax revenue and booming employment in our region.

The city of Gulf Shores decided, in a tremendously knee-jerk reaction last year, to ban alcohol during the middle of Spring Break in order to curtail the reported rowdiness of crowds gathered on public beaches. With a "zero tolerance" policy already in place, this was the last tactic available. The city had copied what a sister city to the east, Panama City, implemented. When pressed if the policy would remain in effect for the future, Mayor Robert Craft has not flexed on the rigid policy. This will be the first year the alcohol ban has been in effect, but we can already analyze how the policy has affected tourism and businesses that cater to the visitors in Panama City.

Bed Tax was down 41 percent from May 2015 when compared to May 2016 in Panama City, meaning an $80,000 loss in just bed tax revenue. The Coastal Florida town has lost an estimated $81 million locally this year due to the reduction in Spring Break visitors. Spinnaker, a nightclub that has been there for 30 years, is down 90 percent from last year. They had to lay off staff that has been there for 20-plus years, according to the General Manager Scott Gunter. Hooters in Panama City Beach lost 22-24 percent of its March sales and have employed 40 percent fewer employees, cutting overtime for those who are working as well. General Manager Jared Blair said that even with the drastic cuts, sales are still down 17 percent for the year. Michael Caraday, who is the owner of Harpoon Harry's, a staple of the Panama City experience, said business was down 75 percent in March 2016, and his business is projected to be down by over 30 percent this year. These are actual numbers from actual businesses that have been negatively impacted by the same policy that Gulf Shores has implemented.

Tourism in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is booming, increasing lodging revenue from $281 million in 2011 to $432 million in 2015 (an increase of 54 percent). Similarly, retail revenue in this area has gone from $586 million in 2011 to $791 million during that same period (a 35 percent increase).

During the council debate in Gulf Shores last month, neither Gary Sinak (the eventual winner) or Kevin Corcoran would take a stand on the ban one way or the other. The city council said it will have a meeting after Labor Day, but according to Steve Griffin, the city administrator, the meeting will not take place until Nov. 22. When pressed about the lack of time to put a policy in place affecting tourism in the Spring, he expressed that Spring Breakers would have still have time to make plans if the policy were indeed reversed. I was at LSU for several years, and all of our Spring Break plans were cemented by October at the latest.

It is true that Gulf Shores and Panama City are two different coastal towns in the same region. One has always marketed its white sandy beaches to families, while the other is now trying to attract families. However, this short-sighted and harmful policy will undoubtedly cause a decrease of tourists to our booming area and will negatively impact employees and employers alike in the region. We must have an open conversation driven by local leaders, business owners, and residents alike in order to allow level heads and clear minds to prevail over short-sighted political reactions in order to best suit the needs of all in our "peace" of paradise.