Hawaii Shore Access Bill
HB 1808 has been introduced in the Legislature to control shoreline access, and stop illegal acquisition of beachfront shoreline by homeowners. Both sides see a need to keep beach access free of barriers to the public.
The bill passed out of the House and was sent to the Senate, where the committees on Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, and Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs approved it with amendments and sent it to the committee on Judiciary and Government Operation. If Judiciary and Government Operation approves the measure, it would go to a committee made up of House and Senate conferees to work out the final wording of the bill.
Some beachside property owners are encouraging plants, mainly naupaka, to grow onto state land, said Sam Lemmo, administrator of the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. In some cases, people are deliberately planting naupaka — and in at least one case, hau — on state land, Lemmo said. The homeowner ends up with more yard, and the public with less beach.
In some cases, the beach is blocked and users can't walk on the shoreline, especially at high tide, Lemmo said, adding that he sought legislation that would help stop the illegal taking.
The bill, introduced last year, failed to pass. Support for the legislation has come from all over including the Big Island, Kailua, Hawai'i Kai, Sunset Beach, the Surfrider Foundation, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the state Office of Planning, the Sierra Club and others.
"We just want specific legislative authority to be able to hold abutting landowners responsible for vegetation that they artificially induce onto public beaches," Lemmo said. "And there needs to be a penalty."
But in committee, much of the language has been removed from the bill, including penalties.
If you feel strongly about this issue, be sure and contact your local representative.
Barbara Abe, Realtor
808-226-2537
barbara@barbarashawaii.com