Here's How I see it
by Sam Lucas (editor, publisher)

Open Beach Access

The issue of open beach access is a sensitive issue in Texas.  On one hand, you have beachfront property owners who, quite rightly, want to enhance their propertys' values and aesthetic beauty of the area.  This comes in conflict with the idea of multitudes of beachgoers, particularly those that use alcoholic beverages, drive automobiles on the beach, and have unleashed (or even leashed) pets, make noise, and obstruct the homeowner's view of the ocean.  If I owned property directly on the beach, I would probably feel the same way.

On the other hand, you have the general public who, either by choice or design, do not have the option of owning beachfront property.   They too, want to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the beach and take part in the recreational opportunities that it provides.

Both sides of the issue are right in feeling the way they do.

The law, however, is on the side of the public.   If enforced properly, the beaches are, first, made available to the citizens of Texas to enjoy and, secondly, to those that wish to buy property that fronts the beach.   When an individual (or corporation) purchases property that is beachfront, they are made aware of the risks involved and of the public's rights to the beach.  They are essentially "rolling the dice".

In many cases, particularly those around the Bermuda Beach/Terramar Beach area, they have gambled and lost.  However, with the use of slick lawyers and a less than attentive state legal system, they have manipulated the system to their advantage, in that their structures are obstructing the public's access, but they have not been destroyed as required by law.  In fact, our tax dollars are being used to support renourishment that cannot be successful in the face of potential storm surges.

The beach doesn't need protection!  Yes, it will erode, but it will still be a beach until it meets the bay, and then it will be a part of the Gulf.  The beach is still there right now...it is just under some of those houses!  The rhetoric we hear is that the beachfront homeowners only want to protect the beach for the public.

Balderdash!  I don't want their protection.   I want them to leave "our" beaches alone.  What they are really doing is protecting their properties at our expense.  I don't want to contribute to CEPRA, or CIAP, or subsidize their homeowner's insurance any longer.

Now to the final piece in their armor...the proponents of restricting beach access say that they are really for preserving access, but the law doesn't say it has to be "vehicular" beach access.

Look at Galveston Island.  With the exception of the seawall, where do you see the public?  I can tell you.  It is on the far west end, where vehicles are allowed.  Those beach property owners know that by shutting off vehicular access, they are effectively shutting off ALL access for most of the public...the fishermen with all their gear, the disabled, the elderly.

The officials of the City of Galveston have systematically allowed this to go on for two decades.   They should be ashamed.

And now, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is planning a resort/campground in Matagorda.  Part of their plan is to ban vehicular access on the very first portion of the beach, which is currently most of the area that people can reach without a four wheel drive vehicle.  Additionally, they plan to cut a road through sensitive wetlands and dune areas to provide alternative access further up the beach (where it becomes four wheel drive country).

And finally, there are proposals for an 1800 room resort at Port Aransas that will greatly benefit the economy of the area at the cost of free and unrestricted beach access.  I can't offer comment on that development at this time because I have not had the time to study it.

I urge anyone that is interested in preserving our freedoms to access Texas beaches in a free and unrestricted manner to join the Texas Open Beach Advocates (TOBA).   Their website is www.texasopenbeaches.org.  Your voice is heard!