NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n For nearly two decades, families posed for photos beside his towering sandcastles, couples got engaged in front of them, and holiday visitors returned year after year to see what he would build next.<\/p>\n Now, the man affectionately known as “The Sandcastle Man” is no longer building on the stretch of Southern California<\/a> beach where he became a Coronado fixture.<\/p>\n Hotel del Coronado confirmed to Fox News Digital that it and sand artist Bill Pavlacka “have parted ways” effective Feb. 5, ending his nearly 20-year run crafting elaborate sculptures on Coronado Beach outside the historic resort<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We can confirm that Hotel del Coronado and The Sandcastle Man have parted ways effective February 5. We wish The Sandcastle Man continued success,” a hotel spokesperson said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n GIRL CAUGHT ON VIDEO PULLING SINGLE SQUARE AS 63,000-BEER-COASTER TOWER FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS COLLAPSES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Bill Pavlacka, known as “The Sandcastle Man,” poses beside one of his sand sculptures on Coronado Beach in California. The longtime beach fixture recently parted ways with the Hotel del Coronado after nearly two decades building on the resort\u2019s beachfront.<\/span> (Daniel Knighton\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The hotel did not provide any additional details about the decision.<\/p>\n Pavlacka\u2019s sand creations, ranging from whimsical holiday displays to custom wedding proposals, anniversary tributes and birthday messages have long-drawn crowds along the iconic shoreline adjacent to San Diego.<\/p>\n The circumstances surrounding his departure were detailed in a letter and interview quotes reported<\/a> by The San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as in statements Pavlacka shared on social media.<\/p>\n The Union-Tribune reported that Pavlacka was formally notified in a letter from the hotel\u2019s human resources director that he was no longer permitted to operate on hotel property. According to the newspaper, the letter said that in recent months a new incident had come to light “involving consumption of alcohol, resulting in a negative guest experience.”<\/p>\n TIKTOK-FAMOUS HOOTERS GIRLS BUILT VIRAL FOLLOWING, BUT LANDLORD HAD FINAL SAY ABOUT THEIR FUTURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A sandcastle sculpture created by Bill Pavlacka sits on Coronado Beach in Southern California with the Hotel del Coronado in the background. Pavlacka has built proposal displays, holiday scenes and custom creations along the beachfront for nearly 20 years.<\/span> (Daniel Knighton\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Pavlacka denied that allegation in an interview with the Union-Tribune.<\/p>\n “There was no alcohol. I don\u2019t drink alcohol out there,” he said. “I asked the hotel guy who complained, \u2018Did you see me drinking?\u2019 He said, \u2018We\u2019re not going to go there.\u2019 If they want me out of there, that\u2019s OK. I\u2019m not going to fight and argue with them.”<\/p>\n The Union-Tribune also reported the letter stated Pavlacka was “no longer permitted to operate \u2018The Sandcastle Man\u2019 or any other business on the premises of the Hotel del Coronado\u2026 explicitly including the Hotel\u2019s beach.”<\/p>\n The newspaper further reported that the hotel owns portions of the beachfront and, citing the California Coastal Commission, has the right to control that property so long as public access is not denied.<\/p>\n Pavlacka told the Union-Tribune he believes the decision may have been influenced by messages he sometimes carved into his sculptures. The newspaper reported the hotel letter said that as a condition of operating on the hotel’s beach property, Pavlacka’s sandcastle content was to be “neutral” and “free of political or controversial messages<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Pavlacka said he had incorporated phrases such as “I believe in freedom of speech” and “I love democracy,” along with a quote attributed to Mark Twain: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the messages were interpreted as political.<\/p>\n POPULAR AIRLINE’S RETRO FOOD MENU SPARKS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ FLYING COMPARISONS AS PASSENGERS REACT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The historic Hotel del Coronado is seen in Coronado, Calif. The beachfront resort confirmed it has “parted ways” with longtime sand sculpture artist Bill Pavlacka, known locally as “The Sandcastle Man.”<\/span> (Daniel Knighton\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “The hotel always says I do not work for them, but they kicked me off the property,” he told the Union-Tribune. “But I have tremendous support in San Diego and almost all the feedback I\u2019ve gotten is positive. So I can\u2019t understand why all of a sudden things changed.”<\/p>\n Local supporters echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n “Bill is hardworking and quiet and never have we ever seen him drinking,” Kimberly Weed told the Coronado Times<\/a>. “This is a huge loss for the people of San Diego, and everyone loves \u2018The Sandcastle Man.\u2019 Bring him back and appreciate the joy it brings people from all over the world.”<\/p>\n Ken Fitzgerald told the outlet, “There is nothing controversial, much less offensive, about a quote from one of America\u2019s greatest authors about the importance of truth and objective reality in our nation\u2019s civic life.”<\/p>\n![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/sandcastle-man-at-hotel-del-coronado.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/sandcastle-man-hotel-del-coronado.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1200\/675\/hotel-del-coronado-fires-sandcastle-man.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1200\/675\/GettyImages-465428713.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n