Judge Orders Stop To Broad Beach Sand Project After $20 Million Spent With No Sand Put On Beach
Written by 991KBU on October 4, 2019
BROADCAST FRIDAY MORNING. POSTED FRIDAY EVENING.
The Broad Beach sand replacement project has been ordered stopped by a county judge.
But backers of trucking in the sand say they will not give up … and they have reminded homeowners that they still have to pay the special tax.
More than 20 million dollars has already been collected and spent by the special district … formed by a large majority of the landowners along Broad beach Road.
The sand washed away there … starting in 2005 when bulldozers were sent to the beach to move sand towards houses.
The Coastal Commission went ballistic … the sand was bulldozed back.
Homeowners say that was not why Broad Beach washed away … but homeowners voted to tax themselves to truck in 22 thousand truckloads sand to rebuild the beach.
Late last week … a Los Angeles judge ruled that the third round of Broad Beach tax collections was invalid.
He wrote that the backers had held a public hearing and vote without disclosing the fact that they knew the Coastal Commission would not allow the sand to be trucked in.
And the Coastal Commission may also order the proactive rock wall along Broad Beach to be removed.
Coastal says the sand replenishment cannot happen unless every single homeowner allows the state to move the public beach line inland … if the sand washes away.
At least a dozen homeowners will not sign that deed.
If the sand district uses eminent domain to require residents to agree to the “springing license” … that would be a violation of legal promises the district made before a tax election.
The Broad Beach sand district knew that … but did not disclose it … when homeowners were asked to fund a third round of special taxes.
And refusal to grsnt the springing license kills the current project at the Coastal Commission.
Ken Ehrlich is spokesman for the special district.
He says they are “disappointed with the decision … as it contrasts with the core district concept of ‘majority rules.’”
He says the judge’s decision has allowed four opponents to temporarily stall the project.
But … Ehrlich says the Broad Beach district board has redoubled its efforts to get the Project built.
The judge’s order brings the sand replenishment project to at least a temporary halt.
But unless every homeowners along Broad Beach signs the fallback plan … Coastal will never allow the current plasn to happen anyway.
