On any windy day, the stretch of South Beach behind the EF International School will be sprinkled with sunbathers, English students, and a squadron of beachgoers strapped into massive, colorful kites.
That 25th Street waterfront is a hotspot for Miami’s kiteboarding community, a cohort of locals united by a near-aggressive devotion to catching waves and flying kites –– ideally both at once.
But recently, the beach has become the site of a bitter conflict –– a very Miami kind of turf war –– between boarders, neighbors, and city officials over who has a right to the beach.
The battle has stretched on for months, ballooning into a feud with no shortage of bad blood. Several people who used to kiteboard there say they have already moved out of the area, while others have put their homes on the market or let their leases lapse. The issue is up for a vote on Wednesday by the Miami Beach City Commission.
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