Jersey Shore Fishing Club celebrates 75th anniversary and escapes eviction – for now

A court ruled Monday that the Sunset Beach Sportsmen’s Club can proceed with its eviction suit and that Nov. 11 is no longer a doomsday date by which it must vacate the premises, a lawyer for the club told NJ Advance Media.

“I think it’s the right ruling in this case, and it gives the appellate court time to look at these things. It also gives the club the opportunity to stay where it is,” attorney Chris Gillin-Schwartz said Tuesday, noting that the appeals process could take months or years.

In May, a judge ruled in favor of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and ordered the club to be vacated, but said the process could not begin until Veterans Day. Monday’s decision reportedly “postponed” the eviction, club members said.

A spokesman for the NJDEP declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

Since 2021, the state and local associations have been embroiled in a back and forth.

“While the fight to save the club is far from over, we are relieved to know that the status quo will be maintained and the irreparable harm to the club and its legacy will be preserved during the appeals process,” said Emaleigh Kaithern, president of the Sunset Beach Sportsmen’s Club.

Longtime club members, local officials and several Cape May County families have fought state regulators to grant the Jersey Shore Fishermen’s Club permission to operate on a piece of land in Lower Township.

The sometimes controversial exchange, which resulted in a petition, sparked several discussions in the city council, letters to lawmakers and requests to the governor’s office to allow the club to remain.

The Sunset Beach Sportsmen’s Club has been located at its coastal location near Cape May Point on a property called “Sunset Beach” since 1957 and celebrated its 75th anniversary in mid-May.

Last spring, however, the club also received bad news. A court ruled in favor of state regulators, finding that the state of New Jersey owned the land beneath the club and not Club members.

The ongoing appeal is the latest attempt by club officials to remain at their current location on the Jersey Shore.

Gillin-Schwartz also continues to fight for the case to be decided by a jury.

How we got here

The Sunset Beach Sportsmen’s Club was founded in the 1940s by a group of friends from the Philadelphia area. They soon moved to a house that served as the club headquarters near Cape May Point in Lower Township in the 1950s.

Since then, the club has been run as a nonprofit organization that hosts holiday events and fundraisers and serves as a second home for club members, including veterans.

Just over two decades ago, the state bought the land on which the Sunset Beach Club stands from the operators of a former magnesite brick factory. Leaders of the 200-member organization argued that a 1999 lease and an agreement with the state allowed them to stay there.

In early May, however, a court ruled that although the state of New Jersey and the club had negotiated and even drafted a proposed five-year lease 25 years ago, that document was never signed and “no agreement between the parties ever came into existence.”

The reason for the eviction was not entirely clear.

While the club disputes New Jersey regulators’ claims that the club is violating state plans for the land, club members question whether the $37.5 million restoration of the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area is related to why efforts are now being made to expel members.

Dave Golden, director of the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, also said in a “termination letter” previously sent to the club that the club was operating on land purchased with federal grants and that its continued operation there could jeopardize future federal funding.

A judge also ruled in May that the club did not qualify for government assistance in relocating. Kaithern stressed that moving the club again – an option that club members had explored – was not feasible.

The club’s lawyer said on Tuesday afternoon that it was not known exactly when the next court hearing would take place.