Packed Florida beach offers glimpse of what may come when outdoor spaces are reopened
In a scene that may repeat itself across Florida as the state takes the first steps toward a return to normal life, cheering crowds flocked to beaches in the Jacksonville area on Friday and Saturday, as they reopened for “essential activities” but still under social-distancing restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Duval County opened its beaches at 5 p.m. on April 17, and people literally ran to the sand after police removed barricades that had blocked access for weeks, local TV reports showed. The beaches will be open in the morning until 11 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The growing resistance against blanket shutdowns of beaches and parks is increasing pressure on local authorities to come up with plans for the reopening of open spaces as well as businesses. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday gave mayors the green light to reopen beaches in areas where it can be done safely. He is also working on creating a task force to prepare to reopen businesses across the state.
Most counties — including Broward and Dade — have not said when they’ll reopen their beaches. Miami-Dade closed all its beaches on March 19 under a sweeping order that covers most recreational areas.
As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to climb in Florida, reactions on social media to the beach reopenings were mostly negative, with people criticizing DeSantis for being too lax on social distancing orders. The hashtag #FloridaMorons was among the top trending topics on Twitter on Saturday.
Florida added 739 new reported cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths since Friday night, indicating that there still isn’t a clear downward trend. The result on Saturday came a day after the state registered the highest number of new cases since the outbreak began.
Florida’s Department of Health said statewide cases totaled 25,492 and the death toll stood at 748. Since Saturday morning, cases increased by 223, and eight new deaths were reported.
The decrease in reported cases puts Florida back on a pattern of daily cases under 1,000 that was observed last week, before Friday’s spike. But the fluctuation may be happening because thousands of private lab test results are still pending.
In addition to beaches in the Jacksonville area in Duval, Saint Johns County also reopened its beaches on Saturday, but only from 6 a.m. to noon and for physical activities only — not sunbathing, for example.
The “essential activities” permitted at Jacksonville Beach include “recreational activities consistent with social distancing guidelines such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming, taking care of pets and surfing”..
Sunbathing is not permitted. Other restrictions include prohibitions on towels and blankets, coolers and grills, and beach chairs, as well as “lingering on the beach without moving”, and gatherings exceeding 10 people.
“Folks, this could be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life, but please respect and follow these limitations,” said the Jacksonville mayor, Lenny Curry. “We’ll get back to life as we know it but we must be patient.”
In Miami-Dade, Mayor Carlos Gimenez is considering opening spaces in phases and met Friday afternoon with representatives from beaches, boating, parks and golf courses to determine a course of action for the county.
At a press conference Saturday morning, Gimenez said “we need to move forward” and reopen the beaches under “specific orders.”
“I know you’re going to see something sooner rather than later in terms of reopening our open spaces,” he said. “That’s something that we need to do.”
Over the weekend, he said the county would organize a task force to come up with a plan to reopen the hospitality, restaurant and retail industries, which have been hard-hit by the lockdown.
“When we reopen our public spaces it will be done in a very safe manner,” Gimenez said. “We need to start thinking about how we’re going to open up and do it in a way that limits the spread of the virus. And put very specific regulations, very specific orders in place.”
While beaches and golf courses may reopen, Florida’s public schools will remain closed and stay online through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, DeSantis announced at a press conference Saturday.
“We obviously weren’t going to do it on May 4,’‘ DeSantis said about reopening the schools, which the Florida Department of Education recommended remain closed until May 1.
Miami Herald reporters Devoun Cetoute, Martin Vassolo and Colleen Wright contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 9:04 PM.
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