Or at least those parts of the beach area with those ‘No Public Access, Go Bleep Yourself’ signs?
Well, something similar may be happening in ‘exclusive’ areas along the Jersey shore, according to today’s Philadelphia Inquirer:
Jersey Shore towns where beachfront-property owners deny public access to bathers may have difficulty obtaining federal funds to repair damage caused by a severe nor’easter this month.
…Long Beach Township – which weaves non-contiguously along Long Beach Island’s 18-mile length and includes Loveladies, North Beach, and Harvey Cedars – may be ground zero in a tug-of-war for FEMA funds if they become available.
Unlike much of the Shore – especially Atlantic and Cape May Counties, where the economy depends on pleasing tourists – parts of Long Beach Island retain an elitist image.
Day-trippers find it hard even to set foot on the beach. There is no place to park, few paths over the dunes, and no restrooms or other amenities for miles in some areas, creating a virtually private beach for the owners of high-priced real estate in towns on the island’s upper midsection and north end.
Eligibility for funding is contingent on “comply(ing) with state and federal regulations giving the public easy access to the waterfront.”
If the idle rich don’t grant easements, they’re SOL.
As far as I’m concerned, that should be the minimal standard required to move even one grain of sand back onto the beach. Otherwise, let the carpetbaggers do what we have to do–try to get help from their insurance companies.