WNCT News — Judge sides with OBX surfer in battle over public vs. private beach access

By Kayla Gaskins — DUCK, N.C. (WAVY) — A surfer had a big win for public beach access in Duck, North Carolina, after a judge made a ruling recently. 

Duck residents and local business owners Bob and Tanya Hovey have surfed the waves on the Outer Banks for years. 

To get to the water, they used access points like the one on Seabreeze Drive. The access point runs in between two oceanfront homes. A few years ago, a “no-trespassing” sign appeared. 

 “As Duck became more of an upscale community, I think it really had an appeal for them to perceive themselves as a private beach community,” Bob Hovey said. 

On the town’s website and official brochures, it says there are no public beach access points in Duck. 

Bob Hovey says that’s not true. He argues accesses at the end of state roads — like the one on Seabreeze Drive — are legally public.

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