The Case for Beach Rights in Jamaica With Dr Devon Taylor

We are taking on an issue that touches every Jamaican — whether you live in Kingston, Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, or whether you are part of the Jamaican Diaspora.

The beach.

Jamaica is blessed with some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Our beaches are part of our natural heritage, our culture, our tourism industry and, arguably, part of what it means to be Jamaican.

But tonight we are asking a very simple question:

Do Jamaicans have a genuine right to access their beaches?

And if so, what does that right actually mean?

This isn't simply a debate about whether somebody should be allowed through a hotel gate. It is a much bigger conversation about public access, private property, tourism, investment, fishermen, communities and national heritage.

Jamaica's Beach Control Act dates back to 1956, and the law provides mechanisms for establishing public rights to use beaches and access them.

And yet, decades later, beach access remains a recurring and sensitive issue.

So tonight, I want to move beyond the arguments and ask: What is the law? What are the rights of ordinary Jamaicans? Who is responsible for protecting those rights? And what should Jamaica's beach policy look like in the future?