your back lawn? that s what homeowners here at destin say happens exactly on this beach. this beach is private, and now this case is now before the united states supreme court. we re awaiting a decision on this case, whether or not what happens with the land here when the state of florida pumps new sand along private beaches, does it become public? some of the homeowners here in destin say the state is stealing their beach. this tranquil beach in destin, florida, is actually a battlefield over property rights. the government is taking our water front property and making it public beachfront property. reporter: linda cherry along with her husband jim own this beachfront home. she says their property deed includes the whole beach in front of their house right down to the surf. but when the state tries to save the beach from erosion by adding new sand at the water s edge, that new strip becomes public. is this your beach?
this is my beach. reporter: this is your land? this is my land. reporter: and the government wants it? reporter: they want it, and they want it without any cost to them, they just want to take it. reporter: is the city taking private property? is. we don t believe that we re taking private property. we believe that we are simply restoring these beaches and creating new beach. reporter: state and local officials argue they are not grabbing land, but adding sand to protect the beach from further erosion. without it, then not just their private property, but the roads and the sanitary sewer lines and gas lines and stuff would be exposed, and that s why we believe it s a legitimate public purpose. reporter: restaurant owner john comber has no problem with the newly-created beach being made public. it s the lesser of two evils because if we don t do it, then we feel like we re going to lose our business. we feel like we need the protection from storms. reporter: but