Update regarding Town of Palm Beach trucks on our beach
"Unfortunately, the threat continues. I was told by staff that *within hours* of our staff informing Palm Beach that our city charter prohibited use of our beach, the Town responded by asserting that a strip of the beach does not in fact belong to us, a 10-foot wide strip above the high water mark.The Town of Palm Beach reportedly further asserted that they intend to drive their trucks down this strip, that is, down the full length of our beach. And that shortly they would be putting in the wooden marker stakes.
The rapidity of the Town of Palm Beach’s “Plan B” response would seem to suggest that they knew all along that our charter prohibited use of our beach for any “beach nourishment” projects.
Our legal has asked for a meeting with the Town’s legal. I will be curious to see if the Town’s permit with the state’s Dept. of Environmental Protection includes a map of the Town’s planned truck route. Stay tuned."
Commissioner McVoy has requested information from the City of Lake Worth Beach:
From: Christopher W. McVoy
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2024 8:25 AM
To: Jamie Brown
Subject: Town of PB - DEP Permit
Good morning Jamie, Troy and our legal team,
Could one of you please email me copies of all of the Town of PB’s permits and applications for their South Palm Beach dredging project? This request includes but is not be limited to FL DEP permits, any federal permits relating to endangered species, their FEMA application, any FDOT applications/permits, etc.
Please let me know how quickly these can be emailed to me.
Thank you,
Christopher
Christopher McVoy
Commissioner, District 2
City of Lake Worth Beach, FL
cmcvoy@lakeworthbeachfl.gov
561.398.6115 (C)
From Commissioner Mcvoy-
ReplyDeleteAll,
Please consider this a formal, time-sensitive request from one of the LWB city commissioners.
It is my understanding that for Florida cities that have beaches, the city managers have authority over, and responsibility for, the safety of their beaches and swimming areas (and presumably also for anything in between). It is also my understanding that the city managers have authority to declare risky proposed activities a safety hazard, and to prohibit them.
As there will be an emergency item under new business at the Dec 17 commission meeting regarding trucks on or near our beach, could the legal department please bring thorough legal information concerning the responsibility and authority vested in city managers for beach cities? And in in particular for our situation where we have clear authority over safety on the beach and safety in the ocean swimming areas, but a different city asserts ownership of a 10 foot strip between those two areas?
I trust that our staff will bring full and thorough information regarding this to inform our discussion tomorrow night (Dec 17).
Thank you,
Just when I thought we would be saving our beach this happens. Can we sue?
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction is that if we allow the Islanders to do the dredge operation they plan on, this will cause a massive silt cloud of dredged sand to hang on top of the most beautiful reef that Palm Beach county or the state of Florida has---this being Horseshoe Reef....it is between the LW Pier and Phipps Park to our North several hundred yards, 37 feet deep on top, 55ish on bottom. The silt cloud will be like a constant sandstorm, dropping sand like a Blizzard in Buffalo, and burying the extensive hard and soft coral system, killing large tracts of this bottom dwelling life, along with chasing away most of the fish life that would normally inhabit this near shore nursery ground. Yes, they can legally do this, and they have the "pretense" that the dredging will be monitored, and if the turbidity gets to be too high, it will be somehow mitigated. But if you kill what is arguably our best live reef, how do you mitigate this? What took thousands of years to develop can not be brought back to life once it has been killed. If you care about the marine environment...if you care about seafood....if you care about entitled rich people destroying a national treasure ---so that they can better enjoy their lifestyle on a beach that is naturally eroding part of the year, and sometimes accreting--you will want to do something.... Smart people do not invest in real estate in an erosional zone, and apparently when rich people do this, they get the national public to pay for the costs to artificially prevent their erosional zone from eroding....even if it destroys a national treasure like Horseshoe reef. In fairness, I am certain there are many Palm Beachers that would be horrified to hear about the Island doing this. If we as a group of thousands, begin protesting this loudly enough to media coverage, there will be plenty of Palm Beachers that will join us in this fight.
ReplyDeleteThe area below the high waiter mark is public domain. What shit is this about a "ten foot strip above the high water mark" ??? Why not a 50 foot strip? Why not say that Palm Beach owns all of our beach ?? Why have they not been paying us for upkeep on that 10 foot strip for the last 100 years?
ReplyDeleteI will not post derogatory opinion against Commissioner McVoy. He is the only one looking after our beach and the devastating affects that could/will happen if this beach sand project goes through. So, take your opinion to the commission meeting tonight and show your face.
ReplyDeleteAnd that means you, RG!
ReplyDelete