They’re blocking our view!

Q. I have a waterfront property and my neighbor is building something behind my home on the water, blocking my view and access to the water. He claims he bought the underwater property and has been measuring to do something. Can someone sell public property without notifying anyone adjacent to it, especially where it should have been offered to us. since it was public land?

A. If you believe that one, I have some underwater property in Florida I can sell you. Since you gave me the location of the property, I checked the particulars with various agencies and learned that it isn’t public property. As such, the former private property owner has the right to sell the property to whomever they choose.
The property you refer to was once parceled to be used for landing craft at the head of an inlet, and over the years, since it was not further pursued as a water landing area, it was worthless to just about anybody. In essence, it was a tax loss that everyone around it took for granted. After all, who buys underwater property? The person who bought the property, according to his attorney, wanted a waterfront and a view since his parcel was just touching the water’s edge by only a few feet. Adding this property gives him access to the water, a view and a place to build an approved dock or develop a beachfront, as long as they are approved by the governing agencies. I also learned that part of the permission to improve the property included an obligation to place a natural stacked-stone bulkhead to prevent further erosion into the inlet waters.