That's right, it's HIS view, now. It's his right to charge what5ever he wants for it. However, he is not charging for the view, he is offering to sell his land, which he owns, fair and square. Any or all of the homeowners could have done the same thing. They blew it.
He had to PAY to stop people from enjoying the view from the property.
WRONG. He had to pay to buy the land. He did. He owns it.
This is not a matter of his innocence. He had to pay a lot of money to extort money from the people on the lake.
First of all, $1K isn't a lot when it comes to purchasing property, especially lake front property. He bought the property fair and square. Once it's his property, he can charge whatever price he wants for it. If people don't want to pay that price, then he won't sell it. If erecting a fence raises the value of the property, it's his right to do so.