Part 4/11:
A central theme revolves around the regulatory restrictions imposed by the Coastal Commission. When rebuilding, property owners must navigate an arduous maze of permits, engineering requirements, and compliance with evolving standards aimed at coastline preservation and erosion prevention.
The Coastal Commission is depicted as resistant to allowing rebuilding, driven by a desire to "restore the beauty of the coast" by removing septic tanks and above-ground electrical infrastructure. In practice, this means new building standards are prohibitively strict—comparable to constructing higher seawalls or adapting to extreme erosion control measures seen in other areas like Fort Lauderdale. Critics argue these regulations serve more to impede construction than to protect the environment.