Coastal Victories (historical info soon...)
Reach 8 - Permit Denial
On March 3, 2009, Surfrider Foundation, by and through the Palm Beach
County Chapter, set precedent to reform beach management practices, not
only within the state of Florida, but throughout the nation.
After
presiding over a trial that lasted several weeks in September and October
of 2008, Administrative Law Judge Robert E. Meale denied the Town of Palm
Beach a Joint Coastal Permit for the Reach 8 beach fill because of the
project's potential to harm environmental and recreational resources.
This permit would have resulted in the burial of approximately seven acres of nearshore hard bottom, take of endangered marine life, destabilizing recreational uses and a wasteful expenditure of tax payer dollars in the tens of millions to fill a beach that is not critically eroded.
Surfrider Foundation was joined by the Snook Foundation and three individuals in filing suit against the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for approving the permit. The Town of Palm Beach intervened in opposition of the project on behalf of the DEP. The City of Lake Worth and Eastern Surfing Association intervened in support of Surfrider's challenge.
By utilizing excellent attorneys from Collins & West P.A. and top notch experts, this ground-breaking litigation brought the concerns of public trust habitat and ocean recreation to the forefront of the beach fill debate. This case has fundamentally challenged the method and permitting process of beach fill projects. Now we must work with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to better these practices, including the drafting of improved standards and regulations, which will set an example for beach fill practices around the nation. In this larger fight for proper beach management, we must address how the permitting system is currently flawed, including a lack of valuation for recreation and fishing resources and inaccurate assessments of environmental harm. Surfrider Foundation will also work to increase public awareness of the importance and fragility of the beach ecosystem and how it is threatened by current beach fill projects.
Surfrider's court battle was the first of its kind to challenge a Joint Coastal Permit of this magnitude. Since the filing of our lawsuit, at least eight other challenges have been or are being made to the DEP's joint coastal permitting process, forcing DEP to reconsider beach management policies. Because of this high profile case, Surfrider is now considered a more legitimate stakeholder in the legislative and permitting process. But much more needs to be done to follow through with this important battle against harmful beach fill.
In order for this ongoing campaign to be successful the Chapter needs your help! The Palm Beach County Chapter is still paying attorney and expert fees. And most importantly, the outcome of this effort could help protect your break in the future. Contributions can be made directly to PayPal - Click the Donate button at the top of the page!
What Defines a 'Victory'
A Coastal Victory is defined as a decision made in favor of the coastal and ocean environment that results in a positive conservation outcome, improves coastal access, or both. For example:
- A chapter campaign that results in the denial of a permit for a beach-destroying seawall is a victory under our definition.
- A chapter turns out 200 people and provides testimony at a preliminary hearing for the seawall. While the large turnout is a victory of grassroots organizing efforts and will be celebrated in other ways, a final decision was not rendered, so it is not counted for this particular metric.
Here's more on our definition of a 'Coastal Victory'.
