Press & News
EastBayRI — Residents consider suit over Little Compton Town Landing access
By Ruth Rasmussen — Not all happy with state's declaration that spot is open to all, not just locals.
The Public’s Radio — ACLU represents beach access advocate sued by Weekapaug Fire District
By Alex Nunes — The Rhode Island ACLU says the fire district’s lawsuit is targeting a Westerly resident fighting for a public shoreline right-of-way in a move to discourage public participation in the dispute.
NJ.com — Ocean Grove could be fined $25K a day if it keeps blocking beach on Sundays, state says
By Rob Jennings — State officials have notified a Jersey Shore landowners’ association that it could be fined up to $25,000 a day if it resumes blocking beach access on Sunday mornings next summer.
ecoRI News — Whose Beach Is It?
PODCAST By Colleen Cronin, Joanna Detz, and Rob Smith — Beach season may have ended, but conflicts over shoreline access have not. ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down pending and settled lawsuits, and explain recent legislation that determines where the public beach begins and where private property ends.
Rhode Island Current — Neronha wants shoreline access lawsuit thrown out
By Nancy Lavin — The group of coastal taxpayers seeking to stop state agencies from enforcing the new shoreline access law has no grounds to sue.
Newport Daily News — Middletown shoreline access confrontation turns into viral video – and it raises questions
By Savana Dunning — A viral video confrontation between a Middletown property owner and a Newport resident trying to access a public right of way has generated over 6 million views on TikTok, sparking social media interest and conversation about public access to the shoreline.
Boston Globe — Property owners’ suit seeks to block new R.I. shore access law
By Brian Amaral — a lawsuit filed Friday by the Rhode Island Association of coastal taxpayers opens a new chapter in Rhode Island long-running fight over shore access
The Public’s Radio — Private property owners file lawsuit against Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law
By Alex Nunes — A group of coastal landowners is asking a federal District Court judge to block enforcement of a new state law intended to clarify where beachgoers can be along the state’s shoreline.
Projo — 'Get off my sand?': Coastal homeowners sue over shoreline law, but state is prepared to fight
By Antonia Noori Farzan — Coastal property owners have filed a federal lawsuit to overturn Rhode Island's new shoreline-access law. The suit claims that the new legislation, which allows the public to use the shoreline up to 10 feet inland of the seaweed line, amounts to an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.
What’s Up Newport — Shoreline access advocates fly banner, literally
By Thom Cahir — Supporters of new law celebrate public shoreline access
The Public’s Radio — Ethics Commission issues opinion on ethics questions around Westerly Town Council president, but issues in shoreline access case remain unresolved
By Alex Nunes — A legal fight over a town-designated path to the beach has put the town council president’s connections to the Watch Hill resort community in the spotlight.
Westerly Sun — Groups file lawsuit over Fort Road designation
By Ryan Blessing — The Watch Hill Fire District and Watch Hill Conservancy fired a legal salvo Thursday over the Westerly Town Council’s attempts to designate a right of way on Fort Road, the popular access route to public lands on Napatree Point.
The Public’s Radio — Watch Hill Fire District files lawsuit against Westerly and state of Rhode Island over popular shoreline right-of-way
By Alex Nunes — The legal action comes in an escalating battle over the Fort Road right-of-way to the undeveloped Napatree Point beach and conservation area.
Boston Globe — Fight over path to prized shore access spot in Westerly heads to court
By Brian Amaral — The Watch Hill Fire District and the Watch Hill Conservancy on Thursday filed a lawsuit naming the town, various town officials, and the state of Rhode Island in Superior Court over the fate of so-called Fort Road. That’s the name people in town use to refer to a path from Watch Hill to Napatree Point — a path that the two entities say is not actually a a public right-of-way.
The Boston Globe — An argument over beach access in R.I. leads to a libel and trespassing lawsuit
By Brian Amaral — Cooler heads are not prevailing after one particular confrontation in Charlestown earlier this summer
Boston Globe — A seaside R.I. town added parking near a surfing hotspot. Now they’re getting sued for it
By Brian Amaral — For decades, according to local surfers, there was a live and let live attitude about parking in these neighborhoods. But coastal McMansions replaced beach shacks, homeowners started calling the police to get cars ticketed near public rights-of-way along the shore
Projo — R.I. beach access case settled for $25,000, but underlying issue is still in the weeds
Dec 13, 2019 — By Brian Amaral — What remains muddled: Rhode Island’s balance of private property and public access rights