A dispute over a missing fence at a Juno Beach public beach access point is creating conflict between condo residents and summer beachgoers, with potential costs to the town reaching into six figures. Residents at the Colony Condos report that people using the JB-7 public walkway have been cutting through their private property since the town removed the old fence in 2023 due to safety concerns. With only bushes now marking the boundary between the public access path and private land, residents say trespassing has become a persistent problem during peak summer months.
Lori Hill, a Colony Condos resident, described the challenges that emerge when warm weather arrives. "Lots of cars that just come at random, and then they just park on the spots there. Bushes are pushed back that they cut through those with their coolers and their fishing rods and lawn chairs and everything, and then they just park there all day," Hill said. Before the fence came down, the physical barrier clearly defined the property line and deterred unauthorized access. Hill said residents previously confronted trespassers directly, but those interactions often turned contentious. Now they typically call police to handle the problem. However, not all beachgoers view the situation as a serious concern. Michael House, who frequents the beach, said he walks to JB-7 from a public lot nearby and has not observed the trespassing issues residents describe. "There's plenty of free parking. If they're damaging property and you know littering and stuff like that might be a different issue. I have never noticed anyone hopping the fence or the shrubs or anything like that," House said.
The fence dispute reached the Juno Beach Town Council during a recent meeting. A town official clarified that the municipality is not legally required to install a fence at the location. However, Vice Mayor Pro Tem DD Halpern suggested exploring more affordable alternatives to address the boundary issue. "I understand fencing is expensive, but I'd like to see maybe we can help them with a lower-cost fence or some combination of split rail and shrubs," Halpern said.
Residents expressed hope that the town will take action to restore some form of barrier. "We're really hoping that the town will get back on board and just put it back up, so that we can have our landscaping and our private parking," Hill said. The council decided to address the fence question during its budget discussions scheduled for July 15.