Court says state isn’t allowed to steal private beach property

A judge in Rhode Island has determined that the state is not allowed to simply change a law and take away beach property belonging to homeowners with waterfront properties.

The state earlier had simply changed its law and moved the demarcation line between public beach and private land 10 feet further inland.

That meant that that land was being taken away from homeowners without compensation even as they were required to continue to pay taxes on it.

That scheme apparently now is at an end.