Why New Jersey Beaches Received A Poor Grade

For over 200 years, New Jersey's coastline has been a popular vacation destination for visitors from all over the United States. Visitors from big cities such as Philadelphia and New York have been coming to the Jersey Shore to relax and enjoy the sea breezes.

Over the years, many celebrities have vacationed at the Jersey Shore, a long list that includes:

*United States Presidents Franklin Pierce and Benjamin Harrison spent summers in Cape May while Ulysses Grant had a vacation home in Long Branch
*Music Superstar Taylor Swift and her family vacationed in Stone Harbor for years
*Eagles All-Pro Jason Kelce owns a summer home in Sea Isle City
*Pop Music Stars The Jonas Brothers vacationed in Asbury Park
*Oscar Nominated Actor Bradley Cooper has spent time over the years in Ocean City

But the latest report puts a damper on New Jersey Summers at the beach.  The Surfrider Foundation released their annual State of the Beach Report which reviews every United States coastline beach. They grade every state's beach based on the following criteria:

*Sediment Management
*Sea Level Rise
*Development of Shore Properties
*Coastal Armoring

The Surfrider Foundation has downgraded New Jersey from a D on last year's report to an F Grade on this year's State of the Beach. The report explains that the Garden State relies too much on Beach Replenishment Projects to deal with Beach Erosion and the state does a poor job of factoring in how Climate Changes have impacted Sea Level fluctuations.

Also, the Surfrider Foundation says that New Jersey has disincentivized the "use of nature-based solutions" to protect the coastline and new development projects do a bad job factoring in rates of local erosion. They recommend that the Garden State should prohibit any new developments in areas known for flooding and implement new Sea Level Rise Legislation.

The only other Atlantic Ocean Coastline state with a close to failing grade on the State of the Beach Report is Florida which received a D- Grade.  The Sunshine State is better at Sediment Management than New Jersey but the Surfrider Foundation says that both are equally bad at handling changes in Sea Levels and how that impacts beach communities.