{"id":319811,"date":"2026-06-25T20:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T20:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/319811\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T20:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T20:11:07","slug":"beach-signs-ignite-a-bigger-fight-on-st-pete-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/319811\/","title":{"rendered":"Beach signs ignite a bigger fight on St. Pete Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The St. Pete Beach City Commission approved new restrictions on beach signs Tuesday, following a lengthy debate that revealed a much larger conflict over public beach access and private property rights.<\/p>\n

Residents argued the signs discourage the public\u2019s longstanding use of the dry sand, while hotel owners said they are simply trying to identify private property, protect guests and give law enforcement the tools to address trespassing.<\/p>\n

Commissioners ultimately approved Ordinance 2026-11<\/a>, creating a 50-foot buffer that prohibits permanent stakes, poles and similar sign structures near the Gulf while still allowing removable A-frame signs outside the restricted area under specific conditions.<\/p>\n

The broader dispute, however, is far from settled.<\/p>\n

The debate centers on Florida\u2019s customary use doctrine<\/a>, which recognizes that the public may establish the right to continue using privately owned dry sand beaches if that use has historically been ancient, reasonable, uninterrupted and free from dispute.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview with the Catalyst, Commissioner Karen Marriott said the ordinance reflects growing pressure on a beach that has changed significantly in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades,\u201d Marriott said, \u201cpeople were pretty good at getting along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, she said, \u201cmore people are shoved into the same amount of space. There starts to be a little bit of friction.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: St. Pete Beach cracks down on beachfront \u2018no trespassing\u2019 signs<\/a><\/p>\n

Supporters of the ordinance argued private beach signs have become an attempt to discourage those historic rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment can regulate them, but cannot revoke them,\u201d St. Pete Beach resident Dominic Isgro told commissioners. \u201cWe have those rights, and we insist on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isgro argued the ordinance should go even further. \u201cThe sign ordinance, frankly, doesn\u2019t go far enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photographs included in the commission\u2019s agenda packet<\/a> show large sign assemblies near the shoreline. One stack begins with \u201cPrivate Beach\u201d and \u201cPrivate Property \u2013 No Trespassing\u201d before listing additional restrictions, including \u201cNo Alcohol, No Coolers,\u201d \u201cNo Tents, No Umbrellas, No Chairs,\u201d \u201cAll Bags Subject to Search\u201d and \u201cNo Pets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other images show standalone \u201cNo Trespassing \u2013 Private Beach\u201d signs alongside hotel beach furniture, as well as rebar survey stakes capped with orange flags protruding from the sand.<\/p>\n

To some residents, the signs represented far more than property markers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sign that started all of this was egregious,\u201d resident Deborah Schechtman said. \u201cIt was uncomfortable. It was threatening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schechtman said language stating \u201cAll Bags Subject to Search\u201d suggested authority private property owners do not possess.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have here,\u201d she said, \u201care hotels trying to take over our right to walk on the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Property owners offered a sharply different perspective.<\/p>\n

Plaza Beach Hotel owner Rob Czyszczon rejected the notion that beachfront businesses are attempting to keep people off the shoreline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not telling anybody they cannot walk the beach,\u201d Czyszczon said. \u201cWe just don\u2019t want you parking on the beach and staying on private property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Czyszczon said clearly marking private property is essential because law enforcement relies on those boundaries when responding to trespassing complaints. He warned commissioners the ordinance could ultimately end up in court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you pass this ordinance, there will be consequences,\u201d he said. \u201cThere most likely will be a lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney Alyssa Gagnon, representing beachfront property owners, argued the ordinance is \u201cvague and overbroad\u201d and raises First Amendment concerns.<\/p>\n

Melanie Vandergrift, representing Islands End Resort, said beachfront property owners also worry about liability. \u201cIf anybody gets hurt,\u201d she said, \u201cthey\u2019re going to sue the property owner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marriott said the issue escalated after a beachfront property owner was advised that clearly marking property boundaries was necessary before law enforcement could effectively address trespassing complaints. That led to a survey company installing rebar stakes topped with orange flags to mark property corners along the shoreline.<\/p>\n

Marriott said she understood why the owner wanted \u201cto mark his property line. But maybe this isn\u2019t really the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n

That search for an alternative ultimately led commissioners to allow removable A-frame signs while prohibiting permanent sign structures closest to the water.<\/p>\n

Environmental concerns also factored into the discussion.<\/p>\n

During Tuesday\u2019s meeting, St. Pete Beach City Attorney Ralf Brookes cited research suggesting exposed posts can interfere with sea turtle nesting. A study included in the commission\u2019s agenda packet<\/a> found nesting activity declined by about 41% in a test section of Melbourne Beach where researchers installed exposed pilings designed to simulate shoreline stabilization structures.<\/p>\n

Marriott acknowledged the ordinance is unlikely to satisfy everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think any of us feel like we really got to the right answer,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s kind of a start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The St. Pete Beach City Commission approved new restrictions on beach signs Tuesday, following a lengthy debate that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-319811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}