Beaches a major playground for controversy.

Byline: DOUG SWORD

But they live in a state where the population has nearly doubled in the last 30 years, most of those sand-loving, vote-casting residents do not live on the water and the Florida Constitution guarantees that it holds at least a portion of all beaches in public trust for all to enjoy.

That makes frequent clashes between these groups all but inevitable. The most watched one these days is a case the U.S. Supreme Court will decide sometime in the next three months.

Not surprisingly, the case, Stop the Beach Renourishment Inc. v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, has brought all the passion expected of a suit involving that most basic of American …