Locals furious over new lottery system to give access to beautiful New Jersey beach

A new lottery system for fishing permits has enraged anglers at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey as it gives outsiders the chance to get access to the beautiful stretch of water, shutting out locals.

The system, already in place, has sparked a fierce debate over who should get priority. Critics say the current structure shuts out thousands of New Jersey residents while granting passes to non-residents.

Introduced by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to manage ‘high demand,’ the lottery allocates permits to allow vehicles on the beach for fishing.

Ocean County Commissioner Jennifer Bacchione told the Daily Mail that the frustration from locals has been overwhelming.

‘People are telling me, ‘I’m a fisherman for 25 years, my father was a fisherman – we can’t get on (the beach).’ It’s ridiculous.’

She added that residents feel blindsided because ‘we pay a lot of money in taxes in New Jersey, and maybe people from other states will get in before us. That’s appalling.’

Bacchione stressed that officials do not want to shut out visitors completely.

‘We don’t want to lose tourism from other states, but there has to be fairness,’ she said. ‘People who live here need the opportunity to enjoy it too.’

A new lottery system has upended Island Beach State Park in New Jersey

The system gives out-of-town residents the same opportunity to gain passes for access to the beach as it does for locals

She also noted that passes are increasingly being misused: ‘People are telling me others are going just to have a bonfire and a party, and they stick a fishing pole in the sand to make it look like they’re fishing.’

For Joel Infantine, who launched a petition that has already garnered over 1,100 signatures to reform the system, Island Beach State Park is a lifeline.

He told the Daily Mail that the park ‘is a staple for us here as locals… a place to get away from the hustle and bustle.’

Technical failures last year made the process even harder. Infantine said he struggled just to upload a required photo and missed his first-day window, adding, ‘I’m not very computer savvy, and elderly people are going to have an extremely difficult time.’

He said he feels it is unjust for people who have visited for decades to suddenly lose access.

‘There are people who have been going for 40, 50 years. To lose your sanctuary because of a random draw just feels wrong.’

His preferred fix is simple: ‘Go back to in-person passes. Show up at the gate, show your equipment, and get your pass. It was never a problem in the past.’

Lawmakers are now trying to offer a solution. A bill advancing through the legislature, known as S-4775, would give state residents a two-week exclusive purchasing window before remaining permits are opened to others.

The beautiful New Jersey beach has seen people allegedly misuse the mobile sport fishing pass by going on the beach for bonfires

The bill has been sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato Jr, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre

The bill has been sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato Jr, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre.

Ortley Beach resident Veronique Godleski said the current lottery may sound fair, ‘but in reality, it may be the worst. Now both sides lose. Folks who have bought a pass for 30 years straight are suddenly shut out.’

She described Island Beach as ‘a sanctuary… especially from the massive summer influx of vacationers,’ and said losing access to something so meaningful ‘simply feels wrong.’

Godleski supports a revamped hybrid system. She said the issue with the old gatehouse approach ‘was never the concept – it was the outdated process.’ She wrote that ‘the State never upgraded the park’s technology even as demand grew, and that’s what created the bottleneck.’

She claimed the system only fell apart once New Jersey moved permit sales online.

She told the Daily Mail that ‘for more than 50 years, locals just went to the gatehouse anytime after December 1 to buy their permit. There was no rush and no drama. But once online sales began, it turned into a panic day.’

She said she recalled 8,000 permits being sold out by 8am in 2020.

Scott Thomas, owner of Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park, told the Daily Mail that the survival of his shop depends on access to the beach. ‘Island Beach is our lifeblood,’ he said. ‘If fishing shut down, I’d be looking for a new job.’

Locals fear that, if approved, the lottery may leave thousands of New Jersey residents without passes while out-of-state applicants have access

Thomas stressed that the pass ‘is not a beach buggy pass – it is a mobile sport fishing pass, and it is intended for people who are going to be fishing.’

He said misuse has increased, pointing to ‘people bringing pallets onto the beach to burn them with nails in them’ and adding, ‘the amount of garbage that’s on the beach is terrible.’

He said he believes the issue is enforcement, not scarcity. ‘If they wrote tickets or yanked passes from people breaking the rules, they wouldn’t need the lottery. They wouldn’t sell as many passes,’ he said.

On whether he supports a residents-only window, Thomas said the idea does not fix the underlying problem. ‘I think it will sell out to New Jersey residents before it even gets to out-of-staters, but without enforcement, it doesn’t change anything.’

Assemblyman Gregory Myhre told the Daily Mail that his office has been flooded with calls and in-person complaints.

He said, ‘Securing a beach buggy pass was never a major issue for dedicated fishermen until recently.’

Myhre called the proposed 14-day window ‘reasonable’ and said he expects broad bipartisan backing.

The legislative delegation has also been forwarding constituent complaints directly to the DEP, arguing that ‘as a matter of basic fairness, access to state parks should prioritize the taxpayers who fund the system.’

A fishing shack on Island Beach State Park. The area is a hub for anglers

Amato, Rumpf, and Myhre issued the following joint statement: ‘A significant number of our constituents have, for much of their lives, obtained mobile fishing permits without issue and enjoyed long summers at Island Beach State Park, a family tradition for many along the Jersey Shore. Understandably, those who lost out through the new lottery process are extremely disheartened and are rightfully calling for policy changes that put New Jersey residents first.

‘While we recognize the challenges the DEP faces with high permit demand, our Delegation is committed to working in a bipartisan manner to ensure our constituents can once again enjoy the level of access to Island Beach State Park they have long been accustomed to.’

If passed, New Jersey residents would have the exclusive first opportunity to purchase permits each December – a change locals hope will restore access to a tradition many say has shaped their lives.

Infantine said residents are not asking for special treatment, just for the park to return to what it has always been for them: ‘We’re not asking for anything crazy. We just want our sanctuary back.’