OK, so in THIS BLOG POST I go through a way to determine if a Florida property enjoys statutory Riparian Rights. This may be a bit too complicated for some to follow but it dawned on me. The Florida DEP determines who owns the land below the water whenever one applies for a dock permit as it affects the type of dock configuration one can have. Thus, if you want to know if the land below the water adjacent to a property is owned by the State of Florida and the uplands MOST LIKELY enjoys Riparian rights AND there is an existing dock then all one do is to look at the dock permit granted by DEP. If that permit states that “The activity appears to be located on sovereign submerged lands owned by the Board of Trustees.” then it’s good bet that the uplands parcel does enjoy Riparian Rights. Homes such as those on Harbor Lane and Paradise Point Road in Paradies Port in Palm Beach Gardens are on the historic Frenchman’s Creek and thus enjoy Riparian rights.
The section of the DEP permit to look for is this one:
