REDINGTON SHORES — The political fight over private landscaping on a public beach access may be nearing an end.
A related legal battle is not over, however.
Last week, the town notified Joanne Greenberg, who lives next to the pedestrian beach access at Lee Avenue and 176th Avenue, that she must uproot the plantings next to her house because it will be paved over to allow vehicles to pass.
In the letter to Greenberg dated March 25, Mayor Bert Adams acknowledged the landscaping she installed "is very attractive," but needs to be "removed within 10 days."
Adams told Greenberg that if she does not remove the shrubbery and planting materials, the town will do so in preparation of paving the entire beach access.
"I can't believe they are doing this, everything is so beautiful," Greenberg said Tuesday.
Since 1972, Greenberg personally paid an estimated $40,000 to sod, landscape and irrigate the 10-foot-wide access.
Now the town wants to convert the beach access path from solely pedestrian use to allowing vehicles to enter the beach.
Greenberg has hired a lawyer, but has yet to take any legal action against the town.
"I think the whole town should get involved to stop this," Greenberg said.
However, her neighbor on the north side of the beach access, the Gulf Mariner condominium, at 17580 Gulf Blvd., has filed a lawsuit to try to stop the paving of the path to the beach.
The 79-unit condominium owns part of the access path and granted the town an easement years ago. The condominium board is arguing that the path is for pedestrian use only and should not be used by vehicles to access the beach.
The town has offered a settlement to stop the lawsuit and the condominium board has offered a counter-settlement, but no agreement has been reached.
The town's attorney, James Denhardt, informed the condominium association last week that the town's proposed settlement is "non-negotiable" and the association's counteroffer was rejected by the newly elected Town Commission during a workshop session earlier in the week.
At that meeting Mayor Adams said the settlement was the town's "last bottom line."
"This has been a nightmare. We are finding that we have no say whatsoever, even though we brought a petition with over 100 signatures to the town," said Oscar Sierra, president of the Gulf Mariner condominium association.
Meanwhile, the town's beach access repaving project is moving forward as part of a multiyear program to upgrade its beach walkways by installing pavers, decorative entrance columns and dune walkovers. In addition to two beach paths at the intersection of Lee Avenue and 176th and 177th avenues, the town also plans to improve the access paths adjacent to Tower Isle, Sea Oats, Sunset Reef and Shore Mariner condominiums.
"What they are doing is wrong," said Greenberg. "They are picking on our area. This town access is a pleasure, it's beautiful and it is mind boggling for me and most of the people here that the town is planning this."
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