Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys is apparently pretty fed up with people hanging out on his private beach in Florida. Like, really fed up. He’s actually suing the local sheriff because, according to Littrell, the sheriff’s office isn’t doing anything to make these uninvited guests leave. It’s a whole big deal, and it brings up some interesting questions about private beach property and what law enforcement is supposed to do. Littrell’s limited liability company, BLB Beach Hut LLC, has put up “no trespassing” signs and clearly marked off the alleged property lines, but some Florida beachgoers don’t care.
Littrell is suing the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. “Despite BLB’s numerous requests and the execution of the required forms, the sheriff has refused to come to the Subject Property to enforce the law and remove the trespassers, to charge the trespassers, or to take any action, at all, thereby refusing to do their duty,” the lawsuit says.
According to Fox News:
On May 4, the suit says, a sheriff’s deputy spoke to an alleged trespasser on Littrell’s property, but didn’t remove the trespasser or cite them, merely saying that the alleged trespasser “‘doesn’t agree with private beaches,’ going on to characterize BLB’s insistence that it’s constitutional rights be upheld as ‘lunacy,’ to use one of the words used by a deputy of the Sheriff’s Department.”
~
The lawsuit also claims that on June 5, an alleged trespasser grabbed legal documents related to the dispute out of the property manager’s hand “and scattered the papers into the wind across the beach.”
~
Littrel said BLB also contacted the sheriff’s department twice that day regarding the “aggressor,” but the department “refused to send any officer.”
~
“When BLB personnel contacted the Sheriff for the third time to request an officer again, the 911 operator simply hung up on BLB personnel rather than dispatching the officer that was requested more than an hour prior,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges “body camera footage shows multiple instances of disrespect against BLB’s agents by the responding officer.”
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital the department doesn’t “comment on pending litigation,” adding it “prides itself on handling every situation, call for service, or interaction with professionalism using a customer service approach. This has always been our philosophy and will continue to be moving forward.”
Littrell told Fox News Digital in a statement: “We bought a home here on this private beach on the Gulf of America in order to be able to vacation in quiet, to be able to enjoy our time without any attention or drama. Unfortunately, we had no idea that there was already a battle which had been happening for years.”
“These are unprecedented times, if the Sheriff continues to refuse to protect and uphold the rights of BLB and other community members, private property and other rights held by Florida citizens will only exist on paper,” the suit says.
When a Backstreet Boy decides to sue a sheriff, you know things are about to get interesting. It’s not every day you see a celebrity taking on law enforcement. Will Littrell’s fame help or hurt his case? Will the sheriff’s office dig in their heels? One thing’s for sure: this case is shining a spotlight on private beachfront property rights and the responsibilities of local authorities.
This case is still ongoing, and the court will decide if the sheriff’s office failed in its duties and what steps need to be taken next. It’s a developing story.
