Beach driving needs to be regulated, not banned. (See below). There aren't enough parking spaces on our beaches, which means some beach driving is necessary, particularly for older persons and people with disabilities.
On Cape Cod, all you have to do to drive on the beach is pass a test and pay a fee.
This lets locals enjoy Cape Cod National Seashore -- and tour tourists on it for fees (as the Massachusetts Audubon Society does) -- while preserving the beach from heedless tourists who might destroy wildlife habitat.
One friend from Texas (who shall be named "Goober" to protect the guilty) insisted on driving on Vilano Beach in a rental car several years ago. When he got caught in sand, a local quickly pushed him out of it.
More damage is done to the beach by heedless tourists than by locals. The answer is to let the National Park Service handle it.
Of course, we won't have to worry about tourists in this economy until Congress enacts the St. Augustine National Historical Park, Seashore and Scenic Coastal Highway Act. Tourists will be attracted by well-kept parks that preserve our historic and environmental heritage, preserving St. Augustine's "sense of place," as Professor Lamy of UF wrote in his insightful 1989 book.
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