‘Sandcastle man’ who created sand art for 20 years at a California hotel just got fired because of his message of ‘I love democracy’

Bill Pavlacka, known widely as the Sandcastle Man, just got the boot from the place he called his sandy canvas for nearly two decades, the Hotel del Coronado in Southern California, as reported by The Hill. Pavlacka has been a staple there, spending almost 20 years creating intricate sand art right on the hotel’s property.

Hotel del Coronado management confirmed they parted ways with Pavlacka effective February 5. They issued a statement saying, “We can confirm that Hotel del Coronado and The Sandcastle Man have parted ways effective February 5,” and added that they wished him continued success. The management officially attributes the split to policy violations and negative impacts on guest experiences.

If you ask Pavlacka, who is a former construction worker, the reason he’s suddenly unwelcome has nothing to do with policy violations. He believes the real issue is that the hotel management found his artistic messages “too political.” This isn’t the first time an artist has been targeted because of their seemingly tame political stance, though.

This is absolutely wild when you consider the messages they objected to

Pavlacka uses simple tools to craft his masterpieces, relying on buckets, a trusty paintbrush, and sometimes even just a plastic fork. However, since last year, he noticed that the hotel staff began scrutinizing the phrases he chose to embed in his art. He revealed that he was given a formal warning after writing messages like “I love democracy” and “I love freedom of speech.”

It’s difficult to understand how proclaiming love for democracy or freedom of speech could negatively impact a guest experience, unless perhaps the hotel is trying to cultivate a truly sterile environment. When you’ve got an artist who has brought joy and unique character to your property for 20 years, you’d think they’d tolerate a little enthusiasm for foundational American principles.

The situation reached a breaking point last week, and this is where it gets truly bizarre. Pavlacka says the hotel management officially severed ties with him after he included a quote from the legendary American writer Mark Twain in one of his creations. He said this message was deemed the final straw because it was considered “too political.” The offending quote was: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

Pavlacka recounted the final interaction, explaining that the hotel staff used other accusations to justify his removal. He was quoted saying, “They accused me of drinking, they’ve accused me of drinking before when I wasn’t, and they told me I’m not welcomed there anymore, that Mark Twain message was the last straw.” This is reminiscent of the Pentagon’s Probe into Sen. Mark Kelly for his message of disobeying “illegal orders.”

Pavlacka isn’t letting this setback stop his creative process. He’s thankful for the community support as he figures out where his next sandy studio will be. He’s determined to continue his art, stating, “I won’t give up, I’ll still build sandcastles. It may not be here; it will be somewhere.”