New Jersey
Protecting against floods, or a government-mandated retreat from the shore? N.J. rules debated
By Wayne Parry, The Associated Press
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — New Jersey officials are defending proposed building rules designed to limit damage from future storms and steadily rising seas in coastal areas, countering criticism that the state aims to force people away from the Jersey Shore by making it harder and more expensive to build or rebuild there.
Lawmakers from both parties held a hearing Thursday in Toms River, one of the hardest-hit communities by Superstorm Sandy, to discuss the state’s Protecting Against Climate Threats initiative and respond to criticism of the proposal from business interests.
Mandated by an 2020 executive order from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, the proposed rules are designed to account for rising seas and a changing climate in making land use decisions near the ocean, bays and rivers in an effort to limit damage from future storms.
The rules would extend the jurisdiction of flood control measures further inland, require buildings to be constructed five feet (1.5 meters) higher off the ground than current rules call for, and require elevating roadways in flood-prone areas.
They are to be published soon in the New Jersey Register, and subject to public comment before taking effect later this year.
Other states and cities are considering or doing similar climate-based updates to development rules or acquisition of flood-prone properties, including North Carolina, Massachusetts, Fort Worth, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Nick Angarone, New Jersey’s chief resilience officer, said proposed rules are necessary to “be clear-eyed about what is happening right before us.”
He said New Jersey ranks third in the nation in flooding claims paid by the federal government at $5.8 billion since 1978.
Angarone and others cited a Rutgers University study projecting that sea levels in New Jersey will rise by 2.1 feet (65 centimeters) by 2050 and 5.1 feet (1.5 meters) by the end of the century. By that time, he said, there is a 50% chance that Atlantic City will experience so-called “sunny-day flooding” every day.
The New Jersey Business and Industry Association pushed back hard against the rules and the study upon which they are based, warning that the initiative is the start of a much-debated “managed retreat” from the shoreline that some scientists say needs to happen but that is anathema to many business groups.
“It will significantly harm the economy of our shore and river communities, and is premised on the policy that people and businesses should be forced to retreat from the coast,” said Ray Cantor, an official with the group and a former advisor to the Department of Environmental Protection under Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
“We do believe that we need to consider sea level rise in our planning efforts,” he said. “However, this rule is based on flawed scientific assumptions and will force a retreat from the Jersey Shore and coastal communities.”
Rutgers defended its projections as consistent with 2021 sea-level projections for Atlantic City of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “a trusted, highly credible, heavily reviewed source of information for climate change.”
Cantor claimed the new rules will create “no-build zones” in parts of the shore where it will simply be too costly and onerous to comply with the new requirements.
State officials vehemently denied that claim, saying the rules aim only to lessen the amount of damage from future storms that residents and businesses must deal with. They created a website aimed at “myths” about the new rules, making clear that nothing would prevent the rebuilding of storm-damaged structures and that there would not be any “no-build zones.”
FILE – Houses extend to the very edge of the water in Stafford, N.J. on July 11, 2014. On Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, New Jersey officials defended new proposed rules that would require buildings in areas near the coast to be built higher than currently required, among other flood prevention efforts. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)AP
Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, said governments should start discouraging new construction in areas that repeatedly flood.
“We need to stop developing highly vulnerable areas,” he said. “We ought to take steps to keep those people out of harm’s way.”
Under its Blue Acres buyout program, New Jersey acquired and demolished hundreds of homes in areas along rivers and bays that repeatedly flood. But it has yet to buy a single home along the ocean.
Sen. Bob Smith, who chaired the hearing, said the measures called for by the proposed rules “are not a retreat.” He called opposition from the Business and Industry Association “silly.”
The association appeared unfazed by the criticism; it hired an advertising plane to fly a banner up and down the oceanfront on Thursday with words for the governor: “Don’t Force A Shore Retreat.”
Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
THE SCOOP
The Devils began their season-high seven-game homestand with a decisive victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win was their second consecutive victory after picking up a win in St. Louis earlier in the week.
There’s not a lot of runway left in the season, and stringing together a run of victories is at the top of their minds. New Jersey is 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot, and 13 out of third in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday will mark the Devils final game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which is on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a down year, based on where the expectations were set heading into the season. The Leafs have struggled to gain any traction in their season and sit just two points ahead of New Jersey with 64. Toronto is 12 points out of third in the Atlantic Division, and nine points out of a Wild Card spot.
The Leafs have a tendency to give up an abundance of shots to their opponents, ranking first in the league in shots against, per game with 31.8, which bodes will for a Devils team that averages 29.4 shots per game, ranking sixth in the league. Despite their overall struggles, the Leafs do have the league’s fourth-best penalty kill, working at an 83.1 percent efficiency.
New Jersey
Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program
A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.
Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor.
Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.
On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.
Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.
If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.
LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.
“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”
LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.
NEWARK, New Jersey — A United Airlines flight headed to Newark, New Jersey returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.
All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.
The flight, which was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport returned to LAX to address an issue with one of the engines, the airline said in a statement. There was no mention of a fire, but the LA Fire Department said it responded and there was a fire that was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.
The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.
The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.
The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of former supreme leader, tipped to become Iran’s next head of state
Las Vegas first responders conduct seven-hour rescue of injured climber stranded 600 feet up rock face
Breaking: Arkansas Announces Significant Partnership With Tyson Foods, Including New Uniform Patch Logos
Ted Cruz endorses Texas state Rep Steve Toth in GOP primary challenge to Dan Crenshaw
New York AG orders Manhattan hospital to resume gender-transition treatment for transgender youth
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of former supreme leader, tipped to become Iran’s next head of state
Video: Senators Question Kristi Noem on ICE Immigration Tactics
Combustible Republican Senate primary in Texas heading into overtime
Hungarian veto proves EU needs less unanimity, says new Dutch PM
Pregnant migrant girls are being sent to a Texas shelter flagged as medically risky
-
World6 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts7 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO7 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida3 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Maryland3 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on Thrilling Books That Became Popular Movies