North Wildwood Sues New Jersey DEP Over Failed Shore Project

North Wildwood Sues New Jersey DEP Over Failed Shore Project

North Wildwood officials are escalating their long-running battle with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, filing a lawsuit they say is necessary to protect the community from the growing threat of coastal erosion.

In a sharply worded statement, Mayor Patrick Rosenello announced that the city has filed a Verified Complaint in Superior Court, alleging that the NJDEP failed in its most fundamental responsibility when it allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to walk away from the Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet Shore Protection Project.

A Verified Complaint in Superior Court is a formal legal document that initiates a lawsuit, but unlike a standard complaint, it is sworn to be true under oath.

This means the person or entity filing it must sign an affidavit stating that the facts presented are accurate to the best of their knowledge, which subjects them to penalties for perjury if anything is knowingly false.

Verified Complaints are often used in cases that require urgency or strong factual support, such as actions to compel a government agency to act, disputes over land use, or situations involving official misconduct.

Because the information is sworn, courts treat these filings with greater weight, allowing plaintiffs to demonstrate the seriousness of their claims and the need for prompt judicial intervention.

According to Rosenello, the operation collapsed entirely because the NJDEP, as the Corps’ local partner, refused or failed to secure the easements required to allow construction to begin.

The mayor described the Army Corps’ withdrawal as one of the most significant and damaging failures in the agency’s modern history. The federally approved project was designed to address long-term erosion issues along one of New Jersey’s most vulnerable stretches of coastline.

These easements are a standard and essential component of any coastal protection initiative.

Also See: Some Wildwood Tram Cars Retired as They Begin Hybrid and Electric Era

Local communities and federal agencies alike expected the state to fulfill this responsibility, and Rosenello argues that the NJDEP had both the legal authority and the obligation to do so.

Instead, he says the project was sabotaged by bureaucratic gridlock and a lack of political will at the state level, leaving North Wildwood and neighboring towns exposed to worsening climate impacts.

The mayor emphasized that local officials had proposed realistic and practical solutions to navigate these roadblocks, but that NJDEP leadership dismissed them without consideration.

The agency has used its authority in similar situations across the state, securing easements for environmental and resiliency projects when needed.

Rosenello maintains that this case was no different in structure or scope, and that any explanation suggesting otherwise is disingenuous.

This failure, he argues, should raise major concerns at the federal level. With taxpayer dollars allocated for coastal protection, Congress and federal partners rely on state agencies to responsibly manage and execute these partnerships.

Rosenello contends that the NJDEP’s handling of this project should force a re-evaluation of whether the agency can be trusted with future federal funding.

Without accountability, he warns, federal investments in New Jersey’s shoreline could continue to be jeopardized by poor management and inaction.

Given the urgency of North Wildwood’s erosion problems and years of unproductive negotiations, city leaders say they were left with no other option but legal action.

The newly filed lawsuit seeks to compel the NJDEP to honor its commitments under the State Aid Agreement and restore the federal partnership needed to complete the shoreline protection project.

Rosenello stated that this legal step was not taken lightly. He called it a last resort driven by the need to safeguard residents, local businesses, and the coastal infrastructure that defines North Wildwood’s economy and identity.

In his view, the lawsuit is now the only viable path to securing the protection the state has failed to deliver, and the only avenue left to expose what he characterizes as bureaucratic negligence that has placed entire communities in danger.

As North Wildwood looks ahead to the upcoming storm seasons without the security that a completed Army Corps dune and berm project would have provided, local leaders say they cannot wait any longer

With the courts now involved, the city hopes to force overdue action and finally secure the coastal defense measures that have been stalled for years.

If not, North Wildwood will have an issue with beach erosion possibly as soon as next late-spring.