By Larry Barszewski
Ocean Ridge will have a say after all in a dispute initiated by Manalapan over the sand transfer plant at the Boynton Inlet.
Manalapan is seeking to reduce — or stop — operation of the plant, which takes sand building up north of the inlet and deposits it on Ocean Ridge’s beach south of the inlet.
A state administrative hearing judge in October reversed her August ruling denying Ocean Ridge’s motion to intervene after the town asked her to reconsider.
The Oct. 8 ruling came days after Ocean Ridge town commissioners authorized spending up to $125,000 for the Carlton Fields law firm to represent the town.
Mayor Geoff Pugh didn’t see an alternative to stepping in, citing the potential harm to the inlet if Manalapan gets its way — which he said would lead to the erosion of Ocean Ridge’s beaches and those to the south.
“It is expensive, the litigation, but we’re a beach town, so that should say it all,” Pugh said. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to really get involved as much as we can.”
Resident Terry Brown, a former commissioner, supported the commission’s Oct. 5 decision, saying there were bigger issues at play.
“I know that a lot of pressure is coming from Manalapan, all those billionaires down there would like to shut that inlet down and also get rid of the inlet park,” Brown said. “So, keep paying the money. You’ve got to do it. Take it from the reserves because there’s a lot of pressure and they’ve got plenty of money.”
If the sand transfer plant were to shut down, the sand building up on the north side of the inlet’s jetty would eventually end up in the inlet, making it unnavigable, Pugh said.
Manalapan officials say the plant is robbing their town of beach sand. The sand piles up at the jetty because of its north to south movement along the coast. Manalapan has not been eligible for state beach renourishment grants because it has no public access to its beach.
Administrative Law Judge Francine Ffolkes initially rejected Ocean Ridge’s efforts to intervene, saying the town’s interests were being represented by Palm Beach County.
However, attorneys for the town argued that Ocean Ridge has interests in the matter that are separate from the county’s and that the town was the one “with the most to lose” because “its shoreline is the immediate beneficiary of the sand transfer plant.”
Representatives from the county and state did not object to Ocean Ridge’s involvement.
The motion by the attorneys representing Ocean Ridge said Manalapan’s action was “a proverbial arrow aimed at Ocean Ridge’s heart.” They said Ocean Ridge’s participation was justified because:
• The county is defending a balanced approach to the issue. “There could come a time in this litigation when Palm Beach County may not seek the maximum protection of Ocean Ridge’s beaches,” the request said.
• The county may be willing to settle in a way that harms the town, may be less likely to appeal a decision adverse to Ocean Ridge, or may “be more willing to accept an outcome that benefits Manalapan at Ocean Ridge’s expense.”
• The county and Ocean Ridge “historically have been adverse in litigation over the inlet and sand transfer issues.”
“Ocean Ridge actually sued Palm Beach County, Manalapan and other parties in the 1980s when efforts to benefit Manalapan’s beaches resulted in the erosion of the Ocean Ridge shoreline,” the attorneys said.
Manalapan’s complaint says the Florida Department of Environmental Protection should not have given the county permission in 2025 to increase the amount of sand being pumped across the inlet. That new 10-year permit wasn’t properly vetted, the town says — and increasing the amount of sand being pumped will only increase beach erosion in Manalapan.
The complaint was made by the town and Peter Bonutti, husband of Manalapan Vice Mayor Simone Bonutti, whose beachfront property is about a mile north of the inlet.
A hearing had been planned for January, but will now be in March or April, Ocean Ridge Town Attorney Christy Goddeau said on Nov. 2.
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