In the Afro-Caribbean heart of Puerto Rico, locals fight erosion

The waves crashed loudly on the collapsed ruins of the Paseo del Atlántico, a walkway that once partially protected residents here from the volatile ocean. Erosion along this northernmost coast of Puerto Rico, nearly 20 miles east of San Juan, precipitated the promenade’s destruction, it finally fell into the Atlantic, exposing the Parcelas Suárez neighborhood to the water’s edge.

Beach access is a line in the sand that needs revisiting by Florida lawmakers

The beach belongs, by law, to the people of Florida — the part that gets wet, that is. However, some 60 percent of Florida’s beaches front private lands, and even renourishment projects funded by taxpayers do not guarantee access to the beach. As more beaches wash away, individual landowners are unlikely to see this loss as theirs alone.