Thursday, May. 1, 2025
Can you get a ticket for walking along private beach property in Florida?
Florida residents can receive a steep fine and even jail time if found on private beach property in Florida.
Trespassing on any private property is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
The Mean High Water Line acts as the boundary: the area below it is public while the area above it can be privately owned.
A 2018 law made it harder for local governments to grant public access to portions of the dry sand above the MHWL.
Formerly, local governments could under certain conditions grant the public “customary use” of portions of beach above the water line. Governments must now sue if they wish to reverse a property owner’s decision to restrict their private beachfront.
Sixty percent of Florida’s coasts are privately owned, according to the Florida law firm Pallager law.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Florida Legislature: Trespass on property other than structure or conveyanceFlorida House of Representatives
- Winter Park Law Office: Misdemeanor Penalties
- Pallegar Law: New Florida Law may Restrict Public Beach Access
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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