Court rules south seaside park can leave berkeley, join seaside park

Court Rules South Seaside Park Can Leave Berkeley, Join Seaside Park

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1 min read
August 12, 2022

SEASIDE PARK, NJ – A New Jersey Superior Court decision declares the tiny beach community of South Seaside Park, located just north of Island Beach State Park can petition to secede from Berkeley Township to become part of Seaside Park to the north.

The ruling could set precedent for other small beachfront communities along the barrier island to break away from the control of their larger mainland municipalities

Many residents in South Seaside Park feel like they have high taxation without equal representation from Berkeley Township which is a nearly 30-minute drive by car to town hall some 16 miles away. To get there, you have to drive through Seaside Park, across the Barnegat Bay, through Toms River and Beachwood before you finally hit the Berkeley Township border.

According to a report, the tiny community of beachfront bungalows is just 1% of the population of Berkeley Township but pays 10% of the township’s overall taxes collected annually.

A petition recently showed 68% of the community wanted to leave Berkeley Township. If successful, South Seaside Park’s de-annexation could lead to the de-annexation of other small beach towns controlled by faraway mainland municipalities such as Ortley Beach, owned by Toms River and Brick Beaches, owned by Brick Township.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

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