Latest news with #trespassers
Fox News
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Backstreet Boy claims 'American Dream' is under attack as he battles sheriff over beach trespassers
Brian Littrell just wants the alleged trespassers on his beach to quit playing games. "This is the American dream," the Backstreet Boys singer told Fox News Digital this week. "Like I've worked for three decades, longer than three decades, in the music business to have some sort of honesty and transparency in my music. You know, music is an emotion that brings all kinds of walks of life together for happiness and joy. And so I think I could walk out on the beach and, you know, people would be like, 'Hey, man, it's nice to meet you,' but just keep it moving, like just keep walking, because that beach access doesn't entitle you to a public beach." The 50-year-old recently sued the Walton County Sheriff's Office in Florida for a writ of mandamus, claiming officials aren't doing their part to help keep trespassers off of his private beach. "It's very frustrating, and this has been a humbling experience, I have to say, because [we're] not getting any help, it's not getting anywhere," Littrell admitted. "Hopefully, we'll get some sort of resolve or some sort of communication that will come out of this that will basically draw the line in the sand, no pun intended, where, 'Hey, just keep it moving. This is private.' We don't want any qualms." BACKSTREET BOYS' BRIAN LITTRELL SAYS BEACH TRESPASSERS ARE 'COMING AFTER' HIS FAMILY AMID FLORIDA LAWSUIT He added, "So, we're about the truth and the law. It's just that simple." Littrell said that he now fears for his safety in his backyard at the beach home where he's lived for three years. "The frustrating thing is that we're not getting any help, you know, we're not getting any law enforcement down there … and we know the law, because we're taxpayers," he said. "It shouldn't be that difficult." The tipping point for him was a couple of weeks ago. "My wife called 911 three times and nobody showed. Nobody showed at all. We had trespassers on our property. They were filming. They were using our stuff and our equipment, and our beach stuff, and, no, she's not gonna walk out there by herself. And the third time she called 911, the dispatch lady hung up on her. So this is a heartfelt plea for all property owners that you have rights. You know, we have rights just like everybody else." WATCH: BACKSTREET BOYS' BRIAN LITTRELL CLAIMS 'AMERICAN DREAM' IS UNDER ATTACK AS HE BATTLES SHERIFF OVER BEACH TRESPASSERS "So, this is a heartfelt plea for all property owners that you have rights. You know, we have rights just like everybody else." — Brian Littrell He said the police are trying to protect the public, "but they forget that we are part of the public, too, because we are beachfront owners. So, there just has to be a line in the sand, no pun intended. There has to some sort of line where we have boundaries." BACKSTREET BOYS SINGER'S FLORIDA BEACH HOME LAWSUIT FOLLOWS SYLVESTER STALLONE'S BATTLE OVER WATERFRONT ESTATE The Walton County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital it 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." Peter Ticktin, Littrell's lawyer, told Fox News Digital that they had already won a lawsuit to prove that Brian owned the beach behind his house, but "They're still coming, they're still there, because they have a purpose in mind." LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Ticktin claimed the alleged trespassers believe that someone who works hard shouldn't necessarily have the right to have their own private beach. "The fact is that if you've got talent, and you work really, really hard, you get to be someplace in this world where you can afford to buy a piece of property, and it's yours," he said. "That's the American dream. And to have these people invade his backyard and then to have the sheriffs come and talk to them and tell them they can stay there only encourages them to do more and more wrong, to the point where they actually are assaulting the security people that had to be hired to be able to protect the property." He added, "They hate entitlement, but they're the ones that are seemingly claiming an entitlement to not only be where they don't belong, but to assault people in the process." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Littrell said his American Dream was to own a little beach home "that we could go and enjoy and watch the sunset and take pictures and live out memories." He continued, "I'm in my 50s now … I mean, come on. Like, I want to start slowing down a little bit and I want to start enjoying life and I don't want to make the news for this kind of stuff. It's just, it's kind of frustrating. I want to make news about positive music that's changing the world, because we're still at it. We're still doing great, and that's a blessing. And it's like, just because I work hard for it, it's not entitled to everybody else." Littrell said he had no intention to sell the house. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We have a tiny little piece of paradise that we literally prayed for. I mean, we seriously prayed for a place like this for almost 30 years," he said, adding, "The beach makes you feel small. So, you know, it's a great place to write songs, too. And you feel smaller than life when you go to the beach. You don't feel larger than life. You feel smaller than life. You know, I don't wanna be chased out of an area that I love."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell claims 'American Dream' is under attack as he battles sheriff over beach trespassers
The singer, who has filed a lawsuit against a Florida sheriff's department to force them to help keep trespassers off his private beach, told Fox News Digital that what he cares about is 'the truth and the law.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Stations being skipped due to trespassers on south Essex c2c line
TRESPASSERS on c2c's railway tracks around Upminster have forced services to skip stations this morning. At least six services have so far been held at, or between, stations due to the presence of individuals on the tracks. The rail operator has now confirmed that the 7.50am Fenchurch Street to Southend Central will not call at Benfleet, Leigh, Chalkwell and Westcliff as a result of the disruption. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. An update from c2c said: "The 07:50 London Fenchurch Street to Southend Central due 08:42 will no longer call at Benfleet, Leigh-On-Sea, Chalkwell and Westcliff. "It is being delayed between Barking and Upminster. "This is due to trespassers on the railway." You can check the status of your journey at
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell sues Florida sheriff's office for not protecting beachfront property from trespassers
Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell says a local Florida sheriff's office isn't doing enough to protect his multimillion-dollar beachfront property from trespassers and is asking a judge for an order commanding deputies to do so. The petition filed last month by Littrell's company in a Florida Panhandle county touches on a perennial tug-of-war between usually-wealthy oceanfront property owners and beach-loving members of the public, especially in Florida, which has 825 miles of sandy beaches. Under Florida law, any sand on a beach below the high tide water mark is public. Many homeowners own the sand down to the average high-water line, though some counties over the decades have passed local ordinances that let the public use otherwise private beaches for sunbathing, fishing and walking if people have historically had access for those purposes. Property records show that Littrell's company purchased the property in Santa Rosa Beach in Walton County in 2023 for $3.8 million. A spokeswoman for the Walton County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that the office doesn't comment on pending litigation. "The Walton County Sheriff's Office prides itself on handling every situation, call for service, or interaction with professionalism using a customer service approach," public information officer Lindsey Darby said in an email. "This has always been our philosophy and will remain so moving forward." In the petition, Littrell's company said that chairs, umbrellas and small tables had been put out on the beach, as well as "No Trespassing" signs, to mark it as private property. But that effort had been in vain "as numerous trespassers have set out to antagonize, bully, and harass the Littrell family by regularly, every day, trespassing," according to the petition. The sheriff's office has refused requests to remove trespassers or charge them, and the family has had to hire private security, the petition said. Walton County, which has become home to several famous property owners besides Littrell over the past two decades, has been at the center of a recent fight between private property owners and the public over access to beaches. A 2018 Florida law that stemmed from a Walton County ordinance blocked any local government from passing ordinances dealing with public beach access until affected homeowners were notified, a public hearing was held and a court had determined whether a private beach was historically open to the public. Florida lawmakers this year approved legislation that restored control back to local authorities, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law last month in Santa Rosa Beach, the beach town where Littrell's house is located.
The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell sues Florida sheriff's office over beach trespassers
Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell says a local Florida sheriff's office isn't doing enough to protect his multimillion-dollar beachfront property from trespassers and is asking a judge for an order commanding deputies to do so. The petition filed last month by Littrell's company in a Florida Panhandle county touches on a perennial tug-of-war between usually-wealthy oceanfront property owners and beach-loving members of the public, especially in Florida, which has 825 miles of sandy beaches. Under Florida law, any sand on a beach below the high tide water mark is public. Many homeowners own the sand down to the average high-water line, though some counties over the decades have passed local ordinances that let the public use otherwise private beaches for sunbathing, fishing and walking if people have historically had access for those purposes. Property records show that Littrell's company purchased the property in Santa Rosa Beach in Walton County in 2023 for $3.8 million. A spokeswoman for the Walton County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that the office doesn't comment on pending litigation. 'The Walton County Sheriff's Office prides itself on handling every situation, call for service, or interaction with professionalism using a customer service approach,' public information officer Lindsey Darby said in an email. 'This has always been our philosophy and will remain so moving forward.' In the petition, Littrell's company said that chairs, umbrellas and small tables had been put out on the beach, as well as 'No Trespassing' signs, to mark it as private property. But that effort had been in vain 'as numerous trespassers have set out to antagonize, bully, and harass the Littrell family by regularly, every day, trespassing,' according to the petition. The sheriff's office has refused requests to remove trespassers or charge them, and the family has had to hire private security, the petition said. Walton County, which has become home to several famous property owners besides Littrell over the past two decades, has been at the center of a recent fight between private property owners and the public over access to beaches. A 2018 Florida law that stemmed from a Walton County ordinance blocked any local government from passing ordinances dealing with public beach access until affected homeowners were notified, a public hearing was held and a court had determined whether a private beach was historically open to the public. Florida lawmakers this year approved legislation that restored control back to local authorities, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law last month in Santa Rosa Beach, the beach town where Littrell's house is located. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @
