Opinion ID: 1747260
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Upland Owners and Florida's Beaches

Text: Private upland owners hold the bathing, fishing, and navigation rights described above in common with the public. Brickell, 82 So. at 227; Broward v. Mabry, 58 Fla. 398, 50 So. 826, 830 (1909). In fact, upland owners have no rights in navigable waters and sovereignty lands that are superior to other members of the public in regard to bathing, fishing, and navigation. See Ferry Pass Inspectors' & Shippers' Ass'n v. White's River Inspectors' & Shippers' Ass'n, 57 Fla. 399, 48 So. 643, 645 (1909). However, upland owners hold several special or exclusive common law littoral rights: (1) the right to have access to the water; (2) the right to reasonably use the water; (3) the right to accretion and reliction; and (4) the right to the unobstructed view of the water. Bd. of Trs. of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund v. Sand Key Assocs., Ltd., 512 So.2d 934, 936 (Fla.1987); Belvedere, 476 So.2d at 651; Brickell, 82 So. at 227; Broward, 50 So. at 830. These special littoral rights are such as are necessary for the use and enjoyment of the upland property, but these rights may not be so exercised as to injure others in their lawful rights. Ferry Pass, 48 So. at 645. Though subject to regulation, these littoral rights are private property rights that cannot be taken from upland owners without just compensation. Sand Key, 512 So.2d at 936; Brickell, 82 So. at 227; Broward, 50 So. at 830. Indeed, in Thiesen v. Gulf, Florida & Alabama Railway Co., 75 Fla. 28, 78 So. 491, 506-07 (1918), this Court considered and rejected the notion that littoral rights are subordinate to public rights and, as a result, could be eliminated without compensation. And, over the years, Florida courts have found unconstitutional takings when certain littoral rights were materially and substantially impaired. See Lee County v. Kiesel, 705 So.2d 1013 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998) (holding that upland owners were entitled to compensation because bridge substantially and materially obstructed their littoral right to view); Game & Fresh Water Fish Comm'n v. Lake Islands, Ltd., 407 So.2d 189 (Fla.1981) (holding that boating regulation was unconstitutional as to littoral owner because it substantially denied the right of access); see also Webb v. Giddens, 82 So.2d 743 (Fla.1955) (finding that culvert substantially impaired littoral owner's right of access); cf. Duval Eng'g & Contracting Co. v. Sales, 77 So.2d 431 (Fla. 1954) (holding that upland owners had no right to compensation when there was only a slight impairment of littoral rights and owners did not show a material disturbance of the littoral rights to access and view). While Florida case law has clearly defined littoral rights as constitutionally protected private property rights, the exact nature of these rights rarely has been described in detail. See Webb, 82 So.2d at 745 (explaining that littoral rights have been broadly and inexactly stated). [9] Early on, this Court described the nature of littoral rights as follows: These special rights are easements incident to the [littoral] holdings and are property rights that may be regulated by law, but may not be taken without just compensation and due process of law. The common-law [littoral] rights that arise by implication of law give no title to the land under navigable waters except such as may be lawfully acquired by accretion, reliction, and other similar rights. Brickell, 82 So. at 227 (emphasis added); see also Broward, 50 So. at 830. Based upon this early description, the littoral rights to access, use, and view are easements under Florida common law. [10] Generally speaking, [a]n easement creates a nonpossessory right to enter and use land in the possession of another and obligates the possessor not to interfere with the uses authorized by the easement. Restatement (Third) of Property § 1.2(1) (2000). More specifically, the littoral rights to access and use are affirmative easements as they grant rights to enter and use land in possession of another. Id. at § 1.2 cmt. a. In contrast, the littoral right to view is a negative easement as it restrict[s] the uses that can be made of property. Id. Furthermore, based upon this Court's early description of the nature of littoral rights, it is evident that the littoral right to accretion and reliction is distinct from the rights to access, use, and view. The rights to access, use, and view are rights relating to the present use of the foreshore and water. The same is not true of the right to accretion and reliction. The right to accretion and reliction is a contingent, future interest that only becomes a posessory interest if and when land is added to the upland by accretion or reliction. See Brickell, 82 So. at 227 ([Littoral] rights ... give no title to the land under navigable waters except such as may be lawfully acquired by accretion, reliction, and other similar rights.); cf. Restatement of Property § 153 (1936) (defining the nature of future interests). At this point, we have described the upland owners' littoral rights and the State's duties in regard to Florida's beaches. We next explain how the common law attempts to bring order and certainty to the physical location where these often competing interests intersect.