Linda Cherry of Crystal Beach is handing out a flyer: “I’m passing a statement down to you that I’d like to read.” As a result of beach restoration, her property boundary is now the ECL, though she still disputes the legality of what was done.
Florida Supreme Court has recognized that private ownership extends to the ECL: Therefore, owners have the right to exclude people except for the right to cross at the walker’s edge: They can’t sit, set out umbrellas, etc. However, the city has told the sheriff not to act within 20 feet of the water’s edge. “The city has drawn a distinction between beachfront owners and nonbeachfront owners for the purpose of enforcing trespass laws … if someone trespasses on the first 20 feet of a nonbeachfront owner’s property, the sheriff can be called.” This policy “has no basis in fact or in law. Moreover it is fundamentally unfair and illegal.”
Her request:
•Rescind orders to the sheriff that allow trespass 20 feet north of the ECL.
•Direct the sheriff to enforce the trespass laws in this zone.
Dewey: We’ve already directed Scott Shirley to look into this. We may be able to take action afterwards.
Next up: Betty Kenyon. During last Thursday’s storm, there was a tree down on the road near her home; when she got back from errands, “that tree was gone … I wanted to say thank you, very, very much, that you were looking out for us.”
And next up: Mike Wright, Destiny Shores.
1)Thanks Mr. Woods for mentioning McDonalds (Woods complimented the clean bathrooms during a discussion of littering). I presume Mr. Wright is a franchisee or manager. He then mentions an anti-litter event McDonalds participated in, collecting 863 pounds of aluminum cans from boaters in the Gulf recently.
He encourages the city to launch a similar project and encourages them to do something about the massive throwing away of cigarette butts.
2)We’re also seeing a lot more vehicle traffic on the beach and it’s causing major erosion problems: “i’ve had as many as 20 vehicles on a given day.” This includes sheriff’s department and others; Wright makes it clear he’s not criticizing their performance, but they’re given too much beach per person to patrol, which forces them to cover a lot of ground. Ditto safety patrol. “We’re not utilizing any one area or one corridor.” And one of the beach cleaners who’s going over their property when it’s not necessary. can the city do anything? “The ruts we have got out there in the sand are just unacceptable.”

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