Federal fisheries law as well as local, state and federal agencies recognize that Palm Beach nearshore waters house irreplaceable ecosystems essential to endangered species of sea turtles and coral, and fisheries.

That’s why the Surfrider and Snook foundations, and a few individuals, are fighting a Town of Palm Beach proposal to bury at least 7 acres of hard-bottom and coral habitat in the name of so-called “beach nourishment.” The area in question is called Reach 8 in bureaucratic parlance. For the rest of us, it’s the stretch of beach on either side of the Lake Worth Pier.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) recently released a notice of intent to issue a permit to the Town of Palm Beach to dredge and fill the 1.3-mile stretch of beach.

On March 13, a formal administrative hearing was filed on behalf of the foundations and individuals against the issuance of the permit.

“Basically, we filed suit against the FDEP to stop the massive dredge-and- fill project,” said Florida Sportsman Communications Network Projects Editor Terry Gibson, one of the plaintiffs. “Now, an Administrative Court judge will decide whether the Town of Palm Beach permit application meets the requirements of Florida’s beach management statutes.”

The Lake Worth City Council voted unanimously not to participate in the often environmentally destructive project. The Lake Worth public beach is excluded from the project, but fill from the project will migrate into the area. Also, Palm Beach voters defeated a referendum to fund the Reach 8 project on the December ballot.

“The project is not in the public interest, and the public has recognized as much,” said Snook Foundation plaintiff Brett Fitzgerald.