GALVESTON, Texas – A beloved Galveston beach that has welcomed families for generations will sit empty this Fourth of July, and likely through the rest of the summer, marking the first closure in its 70-year history.
The owners of Porretto Beach say a city drainage project at Stewart Beach has made parts of the beach unsafe for visitors and vehicle
KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel spoke with owner, Sonya Porretto, about what led to the unprecedented closure.
The Porretto family has operated the beach since the 1950s and has never been forced to close, until now.
“The subsurface has become damaged, which means it’s almost like quicksand. We don’t want anyone’s cars to get stuck or any further damage to happen to the subsurface and surface of the beach,” Porretto said.
Porretto claims the City of Galveston and the Galveston Park Board moved forward with the 2021 drainage project despite warnings it wouldn’t work. She also alleges the project was misrepresented to the Texas General Land Office, with key details about sand harvesting left out of official filings.
According to a draft posted on the city’s website, the project was originally designed to address rainfall runoff and flooding in Stewart Beach’s parking area. Instead, Porretto says it created a massive pond.
“They built a two-and-a-half to three-acre pond, so all the natural flow of water has been directed into that pond, and the pond overflows to the west, which comes through Porretto Beach. It cannot sheet flow to the Gulf as the original plans were designed,” she said.
A federal lawsuit challenging the project was initially dismissed. Porretto appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which sent the case back to the district court. She says a federal judge has since allowed portions of the case to move forward, and the litigation remains active.
The City of Galveston and the Galveston Park Board declined KPRC 2’s request for comment due to the pending litigation. Visit Galveston Director of Communications, Chris Stanley, sent the following statement: “Unfortunately, as this matter is currently in litigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time. We look forward to presenting our case through the proper legal process.”
Porretto says the closure has consequences far beyond the family business, impacting the seasonal workers who depend on the beach for employment.
“We’ve owned it approximately 70 years. A lot of high school kids and college kids worked here. It’s financially affected them because we can’t open,” she said.
It remains unclear when Porretto Beach will reopen. The family says they are hopeful it will happen but cannot provide a timeline at this point.