India, Sept. 4 -- A decade-long dispute over who has the right to sit, walk and set up an umbrella along Florida's Gulf Coast has intensified in Walton County, where fenced-off shorelines, hired security guards and duelling lawsuits have turned some of America's most photographed beaches into a legal battleground, according to National Public Radio.

The 26-mile stretch of coastline along Scenic Highway 30A, home to upscale communities including Seaside, WaterColor and Alys Beach, has become what one activist called "ground zero" in a fight between private property rights and public beach access, NPR reported. The conflict has grown so contentious that advocates are now pushing for a Florida constitutional amendment to settle the matter s...