What to know

• Walton County, Florida's 26-mile 30A coastline has become the center of a decade-long fight over private versus public beach access.
• Advocates now want a state constitutional amendment to permanently settle who can use the sand, after county rules and state laws repeatedly changed.
• Homeowners argue public access infringes on constitutionally protected property rights, while landowners have hired security guards to enforce private stretches.
• Advocates warn the dispute is spreading to other Florida coastal communities.

“What we're fighting for is the right for people to go to a public access and walk as far as they want with their beach chairs and set up on any beach.”

Dave Rauschkolb, Founder, Florida Beaches for All · NPR · Sep 3

Dave Rauschkolb Founder, Florida Beaches for All; Seaside restaurateurEric Wilhelm Homeowner, Walton County beach house