St. Pete Beach bar owner to remove "no trespassing" signs
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One of the signs, pictured in October. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
After public fervor and a meeting with the city, a St. Pete Beach bar owner has agreed to remove two "no trespassing" signs at the water's edge.
Why it matters: The move staves off — for now — a larger battle over beach access that an attorney for the city previously said could become "a test case for the entire state of Florida."
State of play: The owner of the Undertow Beach Bar met with officials from the city and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office last week to discuss the signage, St. Pete Beach spokesperson Marc Portugal told Axios.
- The Undertow had installed several signs in the sand behind the bar, but two of them, close enough to the Gulf that water lapped at their bases during high tide, were the most controversial among beachgoers.
What they're saying: "Based upon the assurances of the city and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office that trespassing laws will be enforced at the Undertow without the signs, my client has decided to remove the two most seaward signs," the Undertow's lawyer, Timothy Weber, told Axios.
Yes, but: "Should these assurances prove not to be true, the owner reserves the right to reinstall them," Weber added.
Catch up quick: The signs outlining the boundaries of the Undertow's land and claiming that swath of sand as "PRIVATE BEACH" went up in early October.
- According to Weber, the bar's owner commissioned a survey of his land and placed the signs at what was determined to be the mean high-water line, or the average height of the water over a period of time.
- The land seaward of that line is protected as public access beach by the Florida Constitution, while the sand landward of the line is, in some cases, private.
The intrigue: While the city appeared poised to fight the Undertow's interpretation last month, Portugal told Axios this week that officials aren't taking further action.
- As far as enforcement of the boundaries go, "our process has not changed," sheriff's spokesperson Sgt. Jessica Mackesy told Axios.
- "If they request our assistance on their private property, we will respond as we always have."