Beachfront Mansions

The 11th Circuit ruled against a Palm Beach, Florida, homeowner who wanted to knock down his traditional beachfront mansion and build a larger house in a midcentury modern style but was denied a permit by the town’s architectural review commission. The plaintiff claimed the denial violated his First Amendment rights, but the court found there was no “great likelihood that some sort of message would be understood by those” who viewed his new house.

ATLANTA — The 11th Circuit ruled against a Palm Beach, Florida, homeowner who wanted to knock down his traditional beachfront mansion and build a larger house in a midcentury modern style but was denied a permit by the town’s architectural review commission. The plaintiff claimed the denial violated his First Amendment rights, but the court found there was no “great likelihood that some sort of message would be understood by those” who viewed his new house.

Categories / Appeals, Civil Rights, Government, Regional

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