Beachfront Property Owners Sue Fla. Lawmakers for Barring Access to Private Property

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A group of Florida beachfront property landowners - including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee - have sued local lawmakers in federal court, accusing them of overstepping their authority by ordering them off of private beaches to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In an April 6 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the plaintiffs contend Walton County (Fla.) officials violated the Fifth Amendment’s Taking Clause by patrolling their private property and barring plaintiffs “from being able to use or even set foot in their own backyards.”

In response to …