Reach 8 Victory!
Palm Beach County Chapter
Claims Huge Victory, Saves Surfing
and Reefs at Lake Worth Pier.

In a landmark decision, Florida Judge Robert E. Meale
recently ruled against the town of Palm Beach in denying
the town a permit to dredge and fill 1.8 miles of beach
surrounding the Lake Worth Pier with 700,000 cubic
yards of poor-quality sediment. In early 2008, the Palm
Beach County Chapter, The Snook Foundation, and three
individuals challenged the town and the State of Florida’s
intent to issue that permit. The City of Lake Worth and
Eastern Surfing Association also intervened in opposition
to the project.
The petitioners proved the dredge-and-fill project would
destroy the beach and coastal environment by directly
burying seven acres of reefs. The silty material would have
also killed marine life, including endangered sea turtles,
and seriously harmed the surfing, fishing and diving.
“The Judge clearly grasped the significance of the
geological and biological systems in this area and their
rarity,” said attorney Jane West, chief legal counsel
for the petitioners. “His ruling focused extensively on
overwhelming data from numerous experts that supported
our case”
“We are so stoked,” said Tom Warnke, Surfrider
Foundation’s Palm Beach County Chapter founder. Our
scientists testified for three weeks, and the judge issued a
277-page ruling, agreeing with us on every issue.”
Judge Meale took a very hard look at the computer model
used to predict where the dredged sand would go, and
he strongly criticized its use. The same model, GENESIS,
is used all over the country for designing dredge and fill
projects. The ruling is a serious indictment of that practice.
“We look forward to working with our experts and the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection to
re-examine its policies on beach management,” said
Ericka Davanzo, Surfrider Foundation’s Regional
Manager in Florida.
Funding is still needed to pay for this lawsuit and other
issues on the Florida Coast. Please consider making a
donation today by going to www.surfrider.org/reach8