Save St. George Island Beaches
Before It’s Too Late
Our Beaches Are Disappearing While Our HOA Wastes OUR Money and Stalls the Inevitable
Beach Renourishment Is Only Getting More Extensive—And Expensive.
The St. George Plantation Homeowners Association has wasted hundreds of thousands of our HOA dollars on lawyers and delay tactics—and will waste even more if we don’t take action now.
If you care about our beautiful beaches, join us in signing this petition to tell our HOA to stop wasting time and money and start working towards solutions to protect our beaches.
Unsure what to believe?
Read on to learn more about the smear campaign and wasteful tactics deployed against us as we work to preserve our island’s beautiful beaches.
The Facts
Original Deeds
On St. George Plantation, beach-front homes were each platted and encumbered with a 100-foot Beach Use Easement (legal agreement for private use by other lot owners in the plat) which started 339 feet seaward of Plantation Pass and extended for 100 feet towards the water.
*Image: Satellite Image from 1995. Click to zoom in.
Coastal Erosion
Due to coastal erosion and avulsion—and exacerbated by the Bob Sikes Cut—the 100-foot private property over which this Beach Use Easement was platted is completely underwater from Seaside Village to Dolphin Village.
*Image: Satellite Image from 2023. Click to zoom in.
Loss of Community Access
Since the loss of the private property on which the Beach Use Easement was platted, these beachfront properties from the dune to the Mean High Water Line are no longer encumbered by the easement, meaning the other lot owners in the plat may only walk through the shallow water along the shore—i.e. seaward of the current mean high water line (MHWL).
Previous HOA Attempts to address the Issue
The previous HOA Board understood that beach loss was a problem for everyone and started to address the problem—but a small group of homeowners didn’t want to pay for beach repairs and took over the board by convincing others to ignore the issue, too.
Concerned Beachfront Owners request "Declaratory Judgement"
In response, a small group of concerned beachfront owners requested a “declaratory judgment” on who is responsible for maintaining the easement and to get legal clarity on the location of the easement in reference to the MHWL.
$300,000 spent to delay judgement
The HOA has spent more than $300k of our community’s dollars trying to delay the judge from reviewing the documents—all while spreading disinformation on the legal action and those involved.
Why It Matters—And What’s Next
The HOA’s “stall and spend” strategy is wasting all of our time and money. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent on HOA lawyers and delay tactics. Even more homeowner money will be spent on lawyers, more time will be wasted, and more beach will be washed away if we don’t take action now.
Beach erosion and avulsion will not stop, and ignoring the problem puts all our homes at risk. The more the beach erodes, the less protection we all have from the next storm. Just look at Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe to see the inland damage storm surge can do.
The HOA has failed in its obligation to maintain the beach easement, and all homeowners have lost the shared beach area. This will negatively impact off-beach property values, rent rates, and ultimately, the HOA itself.
It’s time for the HOA to stop pitting neighbors against each other, and work with us on solutions. The HOA should stop spending our money on lawyers and delaying tactics, and move forward on protecting our shared interests.
The beach is disappearing into the Gulf. Until a judge rules, no one can act. In fact, many beachfront owners are ready to step in and protect their property—but only if the court says they can.
You can help save our beautiful beaches! Tell the HOA Board to stop wasting money on delays and let the judge review the documents. Let’s get the truth and move forward with real solutions.