St. Augustine Beach commission approves perpetual easement for federal renourishment after lengthy debate

The City Commission of St. Augustine Beach voted Nov. 4 to sign a perpetual beach easement that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires for federal beach renourishment work.

The commission debated the draft easement at length, focusing on three substantive differences between the new document and an earlier agreement from 2000: the new easement is perpetual (rather than 50 years), it explicitly places responsibility on the grantee for removal of damaged structures in some cases, and it lacks an automatic reverter clause tied to project funding or activity. After discussion, commissioners approved the perpetual easement with a clerical correction to Exhibit A (changing the wording to reflect "parcels"), and a motion to approve was made and seconded "under protest." The vote passed on a voice vote and was recorded as adopted.

City and county…