Florida beachgoers will soon have easier access to more shoreline under a new state law.

While the area seaward of the average high tide line has long been public, a 2018 law made it harder for local governments to declare the higher, dry sand portions of the beach as open to the public. That law required local officials to go through the courts before granting public access to those areas.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1622 on Tuesday, repealing those restrictions.

“This bill is about restoring local control, cutting legal red tape, and putting our residents first,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Santa Rosa Beach.

Tensions over beach access have simmered for years in coastal communities like Walton County, where property owners have clashed with residents and visitors over access to dry sand areas historically used by the public.

“Overnight, people who had walked the same stretch of dry beach for generations were being told they were trespassing,” said Sen. Jay Trumbull, a Republican representing the area and one of the bill’s sponsors. “That’s not the Walton County I know, and it’s not the Florida I believe in.”

The new law also streamlines the process for beach restoration projects in several Gulf Coast counties. It took effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.

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