By Jane Musgrave
A legal battle Manalapan launched to keep sand from being swept south from its shores has been delayed and it’s likely the long-running dispute will get bigger.
In what is shaping up to become a battle of coastal communities, Ocean Ridge in early August said it wanted a chance to contest Manalapan’s efforts to reduce the amount of sand that is pumped south from a transfer plant at the Boynton Inlet.
The action by Ocean Ridge came before Administrative Law Judge Francine Ffolkes cancelled a five-day hearing set to begin Aug. 24. Manalapan, Palm Beach County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection all said they needed more time to prepare. The hearing has been rescheduled for January 25-28.
While Ffolkes said that Ocean Ridge had "substantial interests" in the outcome of the dispute, she rejected the town's efforts to intervene in the suit and ruled the county was already representing the town's interests.
“It literally makes no sense,” Ocean Ridge Mayor Geoff Pugh said of Manalapan’s quest to curb the operations of the plant, which has pumped sand from one side of the inlet to the other for nearly 90 years.
“Any town whose residents use that inlet for navigation should be up in arms about it,” Pugh said, specifically mentioning Boynton Beach, Lantana and Hypoluxo. Operations of the transfer plant are critical to keep sand from blocking the inlet, which would make it impossible for boaters to get in or out.
Ocean Ridge was unaware of the complaint filed by Manalapan until it was contacted by a reporter from The Coastal Star. Once alerted, it filed legal papers, saying it wanted to join Palm Beach County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in opposing Manalapan’s claims.
In the complaint, Manalapan claims that the state agency in 2025 shouldn’t have given the county permission to increase the amount of sand that is pumped from the inlet to Ocean Ridge and beyond. The new 10-year permit wasn’t properly vetted and Manalapan was given no chance to weigh in, it claims.
For years, erosion has been a problem in Manalapan, its attorneys claim. Taking additional sand will accelerate it.
“The increased erosion will diminish the size and quality of Manalapan’s beaches thereby injuring the environment and the natural resources of the state, reducing turtle habitat, (and) diminishing protection offered by the beaches to upland development,” wrote attorney John Fumero, who was hired to represent the town in the dispute.
Correction: An earlier online version of this story (and the one published in print) incorrectly reported the reason for the hearing's delay and the administrative law judge's decision on allowing Ocean Ridge to intervene. The hearing was delayed to give the parties more time to prepare. And despite acknowledging Ocean Ridge's interests, the judge did not allow the town to intervene.
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