Techie Buys Beach Front Property. Surfers Want Beach Access. Coastal Commission Steps in with Eminent Domain. Plot for Point Break #3 Develops.

Techies, Surfers and a state agency? Yes, a founder of Sun Microsystems bought 89 acres of beach front property sorth of Maverick’s. It could also be the plot to Point Break #3.

Had surfers had access to the beach before his purchase? yes.

How did the state lands commission get involved? 

  • It began with criminal charges agaisnt the surfers, with video tape evidence of the alleged trespass.
  • The criminal charges go away.
  • The State Lands Commission stesp in to negotiate access.
  • The…

Private Property Rights. Meets Data Security in Billboards. 3 Bits Informed Intel.

What do private property rights, data security & billboards have in common? A lot when billboards are partnering with telecom to track people’s travel patterns and behaviors through their mobile phones.

Tracking travel patterns and location creates data.  Data creation leads to data storage which leads to a trove of data for hackers.

The Center for Digital Democracy says ““It is incredibly creepy, and it’s the most recent intrusion into our privacy.”

NYTimes | See That…

1 Pipeline = 2 States Stop Eminent Domain via Legislation + 1 Court Also says No to Eminent Domain.

A pipeline that will traverse South Carolina & Georgia has the 2 states pushing legislation to reign in eminent domain. Let’s look:

The South Carolina bill package will:

  • Establish a 5 year moratorium on pipeline eminent domain use
  • Create a Commission to study eminent domain & make recommendation about pipeline use of eminent domain

The Georgia bill will:

  • eminent domain moratorium until July 2017
  • commission to study the process for awarding private companies eminent domain…

12 Eminent Domain Lawsuits. 1 Pecos Pipeline. 3 Bits Informed Intel.

What issues are land owners raising in the 12 pending eminent domain lawsuits for the Trans Pecos pipeline?

  • Whether the petitions for eminent domain are valid
  • Whether there is a proper public use (can there be a public use in Texas if Texas is not a recipient of any of the goods in the pipeline?)

Is this pipeline using eminent domain like every other pipeline in Texas using eminent domain? No, no one has ever built a pipeline like Trans Pecos with the purpose of selling natural gas to…

TREND: A State audit reveals County improperly used eminent domain

What state allows an auditor to look at eminent domain? Oklahoma

What was the Oklahoma state auditor reviewing that included eminent domain? Records, process and procedure at Creek County, Oklahoma

What eminent domain related violations did the OK auditor find?

  • failed to provide sufficient paperwork to determine eminent domain was used in accordance with state statutes
  • court records showed that the property was obtained for economic development, a violation of state law
  • an executive…