Privacy & community rules

Your posts

Display names, messages, approximate selected areas, supplied website links and timestamps become public only after moderator approval. Do not post home addresses, personal phone numbers or other sensitive information. Use public business or pickup locations. Posts are community reports, not independently verified facts or official alerts.

Cookies & personal tools

A necessary, random visitor cookie lets you manage your submissions and helps limit spam. It expires after 30 days. The server stores a protected hash, not the cookie value. Clearing cookies can remove your ability to manage earlier submissions. Your checklist, personal outage timer, fuel gauge and preferred display name are stored in your browser.

Webcams

Downtown camera images load directly from FL511 only after you choose to view one. Beach camera links open the original provider’s site. Camera providers receive ordinary web request information, such as your network address, and have their own privacy practices. GulfWatch does not record webcam footage or send your checklist or personal outage entries to camera providers.

Retention & moderation

Public posts expire after 6–48 hours; replies expire with their discussion. Expired posts are removed from server storage after a further seven days when the service next processes submissions. Reports are kept up to 30 days. Moderators can remove posts and block a visitor from posting. A daily protected hash of a network address may be used for temporary submission limits; raw network addresses are not stored in the community database. Hosting providers may keep their own operational logs.

Advertising enquiries

Business names, contact emails, messages and website links submitted on the advertising page are visible only to the site owner. They are used to handle the enquiry and are removed after 90 days when the service next processes submissions, or earlier by the owner. No payment is collected by this form.

Sponsored content

Paid placements are labeled Advertisement. Sponsorship does not determine official weather information, resource verification or moderation decisions. No third-party advertising network or advertising tracking script is currently enabled. External links open services with their own privacy practices.

Optional donations

Tips go to the site owner through Cash App at $tylermacmusic. They support GulfWatch, not a disaster-relief charity. GulfWatch does not collect payment details or confirm transactions. Cash App handles payments under its own terms and privacy practices.

Owner access

ChatGPT sign-in protects the owner dashboard. The authenticated email is checked against the configured owner to authorize moderation; it is not published with posts. Guests can read and submit without a ChatGPT account.

Community rules

Be helpful, truthful and respectful. No spam, scams, harassment, impersonation, personal information, unofficial evacuation instructions or sales pitches. Include when you checked time-sensitive information. Report unsafe or outdated posts using the Report control. Review is not continuous; this board cannot dispatch help. Call 911 for an emergency.