LETTER: Beachfront owners shouldn't have to fight for their rights

I feel bad for the Destin beachfront homeowners having to fight for their constitutional rights to protect against the takeover of their beachfront property.

There was a time when waterfront property was dirt cheap. Unfortunately, that’s no longer true. Early developers who bought property on the water worked hard to clear brush, trees and litter to establish a beach. Once they were done, the public then wanted to share the fruits of their labors.

For the sake of the couples fighting for their beach property, I hope the U.S. Supreme Court has more justices like Samuel Alito, who said there will be hot dog vendors. I might add: tents, bonfires, portable toilets, barking dogs, lovemaking couples, all-night beer parties and litter left behind for the property owners to clean up.

I once lived on a lake in northern Michigan with 12-foot alleys in a plat every two lots apart, with 130 lots to consider. I went to the Michigan Supreme Court to settle this issue. The result was walking and strolling along the shoreline. The public uses the 12-foot alleys to view the waterfront — no dogs, no vehicles allowed, no bonfires.

Here in Destin, look at all the parks on the Gulf of Mexico — parks that our early city fathers were wise enough to provide for the public with the use of our taxes. Henderson Beach State Recreation Area is one example.

If early pioneers wanted the public to camp out in front of our homes, why did they spend millions of our tax dollars on parks for the public?

— BETTY HIRSCHMAN
Destin