Who owns the beach? A heated battle plays out in the Florida Panhandle

After years of fighting over who gets to use the beach, and where, in Walton County, Florida, public-use advocates are calling for a state constitutional amendment to finally settle the matter.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3001+0+0/resize/4500x3001!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F84%2F5c%2F14b6e6234834a9c21d67faca0c4c%2Fflabeaches-photo-28.jpg' alt='A beachgoer uses the boardwalk at Ed Walline Regional Beach Access off Scenic Highway 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. This stretch of the Gulf Coast has become "ground zero" in a battle between private property rights and public beach access.'/><p>After years of fighting over who gets to use the beach, and where, in Walton County, Florida, public-use advocates are calling for a state constitutional amendment to finally settle the matter.</p><p>(Image credit: Erich Martin for NPR)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5935575' />