Goodbye to private beaches in Florida? New law restores public access to the shoreline

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week that he signed SB 1622, a bill that repeals a 2018 law. That legislation, signed by former Gov. Rick Scott, limited public access to beaches and barred local governments from passing ordinances regarding customary use.

“By repealing the law, we return the authority back to local communities,” DeSantis said at a press conference from Santa Rosa Beach in Walton County. “This bill is about restoring local control, cutting red tape and putting our residents first,” he added.

Does the new law mean goodbye to private beaches in Florida?

The site of DeSantis’ announcement was symbolic because the reversal of the 2018 law directly affects Walton County, but will have a ripple effect across the Sunshine State. The county commission ruled in 2016 that the public had access to the 26 miles of dry sand beach along the Gulf of Mexico but the 2018 law nullified that decision.

Under the previous law, only the part of the beach below the high tide water mark could be accessed by the public without being considered trespassing on private property. The law made recognizing recreational customary use a long and arduous process that favored property owners.

“Overnight, people who had walked the same stretch of dry beach for generations were being told that they were trespassing,” said Senator Jay Trumbull, a Panama City Republican and one of the sponsors of the bill.

The new law streamlines the ability of local authorities to recognize recreational customary use, whereby even the sandy area adjacent to the mean high tide mark can be accessed without the owner shooing beachgoers off of it.

“Cities and counties can now adopt ordinances recognizing recreational customary use — walking, fishing, sunbathing, swimming — without having to obtain a judicial declaration, parcel by parcel,” said Trumbull.

New law will help with beach restoration efforts

Another feature of the new law is to also streamline beach restoration in Gulf Coast counties with small populations. It allows the state to use the mean high-water line as the erosion control line. Additionally, duplicative procedures that delayed critical restoration projects have been eliminated.

This will allow “vital beach nourishment projects to move forward more efficiently,” explained Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert.

“Renourishment will increase the public beach space that the tourists can and the locals get to enjoy,” said Representative Shane Abbott, a DeFuniak Springs Republican who sponsored the bill in the House.

Abbot added that he and Trumball didn’t run the bill just for themselves and their families to be able to enjoy the beach. “We ran this bill for the thousands of locals and residents here that have spent time on those beaches and should enjoy those beaches and have enjoyed them for generations,” he explained.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment.Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.