AMERICAN BEACH, Fla. – A local nonprofit is suing Nassau County to stop people from being able to drive on historic American Beach.
It is a fight that has been brewing for years as people in the area say they want to protect wildlife and families.
Save Historic American Beach Incorporated is holding a news conference Wednesday, where several people are expected to outline what is in a nearly 20-page federal lawsuit the group filed Tuesday against Nassau County.
READ: American Beach federal complaint
They accuse the county of violating the Endangered Species Act.
The lawsuit argues that driving on American Beach is putting Loggerhead and Green sea turtles at risk.
The nonprofit accuses drivers of killing sea turtle hatchlings over the years.
They also say tire tracks in the sand can prevent sea turtles from making their way to the ocean.
“I am a walker. I walk at the beach constantly in the mornings,” said Pam Buncum, who has lived in American Beach for decades and is a longtime member of Save Historic American Beach Inc. “I would see little baby turtles run over because [drivers] are allowed to come out all hours of the night, especially during turtle nesting season. We found issues with that because it is not enforced.”
Save Historic American Beach says it gave written notice to Nassau County and several other agencies of different Endangered Species Act violations more than two months ago and claims the county has not taken any steps to resolve them.
Another issue Save Historic American Beach Inc. is raising is that they believe identity is influencing why they say their concerns have been dismissed.
Several people News4JAX spoke with nearly a month ago also detailed how Black Floridians in the 1930s founded American Beach when they were excluded from going to segregated beaches in other areas.
“American Beach was founded by A.L. Lewis, the first Black millionaire, Afro-American Life Insurance Company,” said Mark Dawkins, who is the chairman of the nonprofit. ”The history of American Beach goes without saying. It is a hidden gem. People should come and explore it and find out more about the American Beach.“
Dawkins and Buncum say beach driving is making erosion worse in an area that has already been devastated by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. She says it is putting homes at risk as well as the wildlife.
“We actually hired a scientist [last] summer who did a study of the dunes,” Dawkins said. “She compared our dunes to the dunes at Amelia Island Resort and at Summer Beach. She was able to quantify the loss of dunes that we have suffered as a result of beach driving relative to our north and south neighbors. Let our dunes rebuild after storms like everyone else’s dunes are allowed to build. Let our sea turtles benefit from not having driving and people running over them. We just want the same thing that everyone else has.”
Buncum said if driving on the beach is prohibited the area would be the place they envisioned when they bought property in the area.
“It would be the ideal place that Amelia Island really provides. Quiet, peaceful, pristine, coastal living,” Buncum said. “Give us the same equal protection that you have given people that live in communities to the north and south of us. We are not asking for anything that the county is not already providing other people. We are the exception. The question should be why is historic American Beach the exception?”
Nassau County has pushed back on all of this.
Through a written statement, county attorneys tell News4JAX the accusations are “baseless.” They say the evidence does not prove any violations of the Endangered Species Act.
The county points to a 1989 law that they say allows beach driving and parking, which they say has happened at American Beach for nearly 100 years.
Wednesday’s news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Burney Park in American Beach.
