United States Supreme Court Upholds Beach Access in Florida

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Public Trust Doctrine and public beach access, following the main arguments from the Surfirder Foundation amicus brief in the “Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection” case. The local Emerald Coast Chapter and the surrounding community are happy to see their objectives for beach access were well-served. This Supreme Court decision has given the state the authority to act in the interest of the public trust, enabling any person to walk along the water’s edge on this taxpayer-funded sand. The Chapter remains concerned, as are the other ten Chapters across the state, with the open-ended issues arising from the beach access provisions of the beach management program, located in Chapter 161 of the Florida Revised Statutes.