Ritz-Carlton hit with $1.6 million fine for blocking beach access

A luxury hotel in Northern California has been hit with a $1.6 million fine for restricting access to public beaches.

The settlement reached Thursday between the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay and the California Coastal Commission is the second largest of its kind for the commission.

Lisa Haage , Chief of Enforcement for the Commission, told CNN she hopes all these penalties will send a message.

“$1.6 million is enough to make them really pay attention and I think really improve their behavior,” Haage said.

When the hotel opened in 2001 it agreed to provide 25 easily identified public parking spaces and access to the beach through the hotel premises. Over the years the Commission received numerous reports of the hotel failing to meet these requirements.