The years long squabble over one Jersey Shore town taking beach protection measures into its own hands has taken place on the sand, off the coast and — of course — in court. The cost? A collective $1,024,075, according to documents acquired by NJ Advance Media via Open Public Records Act requests. Since 2020 — when the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection first cited North Wildwood for allegedly breaking environmental rules with various beach repairs — the city has spent $452,495 on legal fees while fighting the state. The NJDEP says the state has so far used $571,580 of taxpayer …