South Florida town is banning visitors at checkpoint to limit spread of coronavirus
The town of Golden Beach is temporarily banning visitors and has imposed a curfew to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in the wealthy community on the northern tip of Miami-Dade.
The residential town — there are no commercial businesses within city limits — straddles State Road A1A on the Miami-Dade/Broward County line, nestled between Hallandale Beach to the north and Sunny Isles Beach to the south.
Drivers passing through, traveling along A1A to go to and from Miami-Dade and Broward, will not be affected by the temporary visitor ban that began Friday morning, said Town Manager Alexander Diaz.
Golden Beach’s police substation will act like a checkpoint to the residential neighborhood to the west of A1A. Only those who live in the town or are providing an “essential” service such as deliveries and appliance or emergency repairs will be allowed in.
Everyone else will be turned away. That means no visiting friends or family over for a quarantine party or parade.
Golden Beach isn’t the first municipality in South Florida attempting to restrict the flow of outside traffic. The Village of Key Biscayne, at the end of the Rickenbacker Causeway, closed its border to all tourists and visitors late last month, and created a checkpoint to help enforce the ban. While the tourist and visitor ban still exists, officials ended the checkpoint because of heavy traffic delays and complaints.
Monroe County has also placed two checkpoints, one at mile marker 112.5 on the 18-mile stretch on U.S. 1 and the other on Card South Road, after banning tourists and visitors from entering the Florida Keys.
Diaz said Golden Beach’s ban promotes social distancing and remind residents they need to follow stay-at-home orders, issued by both the local and state governments. This means residents need to stay inside, with exceptions for essential services.
Regular deliveries, including Uber Eats, Instacart and Amazon will still be allowed into the neighborhood.
Workers who are visiting to perform an essential service will have to sign in at the gatehouse. That includes AC repairs, pool maintenance, caregivers, exterior pest control and emergency repairs for plumbing electrical, telephone and internet. Landscaping services for mowing and blowing only will also be allowed, according to the town.
Diaz said the mandatory curfew, which starts Friday, will also not affect drivers who do not live in the town. But, drivers might be stopped and questioned if they are seen traveling during curfew. Town residents must stay home during the curfew, which runs from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice. Only essential staff and critical response teams will be allowed on the streets during curfew, according to the town.
Other services such as construction, car washes, pet grooming, fitness trainers will also not be allowed into the neighborhood. Deliveries that require a large truck will also not be allowed without approval from the town manager. For large deliveries, call The Strand Gatehouse at 305-935-0940 to make arrangements.
To learn more visit www.goldenbeach.us
Miami Herald staff writer Aaron Leibowitz contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 10:16 AM.
