Now that Jacksonville opened its beaches, these Florida counties and cities are following
Sarasota County officials have voted unanimously to reopen its beaches on Monday, April 27.
And, just like last week when Jacksonville and St. Johns County opened their beaches, with some of the same social distancing restrictions that will apply in Sarasota County, there has been a mix of cheers and jeers.
On Wednesday, Sarasota County commissioners unanimously voted to open parts of the county’s 35 miles of beaches, the Bradenton Herald reported. But Lido Beach, which is under the city of Sarasota’s jurisdiction, will remain closed as will the beaches of neighboring Manatee County, home to Bradenton.
As with Jacksonville, allowable activities in Sarasota County will include biking, running, walking, swimming and surfing when beaches open at 6 a.m. But social distancing rules of no congregating in groups and of staying at least 6 feet apart will apply.
Forget yoga-on-the-beach classes and monthly drum circles for the time being, too. No sunbathing, coolers or tents, either.
And Sarasota County isn’t opening its parking lots as a measure to reduce a crush of stir-crazy residents from flocking to the beach in its take-a-look-and-see approach to reopening.
“Let’s not jump and go crazy when we open these up; I don’t expect to see a drum circle on Sunday,” Commissioner Christian Ziegler told WWSB ABC7.
“Big Mistake!” said out-of-work restaurant worker Jan Morris on Twitter. “People will take advantage and WILL NOT stay 6’ apart. If you won’t open the restaurants so I can go back to work, then Sarasota Co. should not open the beaches.”
Englewood Beach and Port Charlotte Beach will also reopen Monday but their restrooms will stay closed and parking meters will be disabled, according to the Charlotte County Parks and Recreation Department.
“Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know what to do to protect yourself,” Sarasota County Commissioner Michael Moran said, according to the Associated Press. “Now that everyone is educated on (health guidelines), now it’s time to open up our lives.”
South Florida beaches
Beaches in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties remain closed, though officials have been in discussion on what has to happen to get them to reopen. As of Wednesday morning, the three counties had 16,784 confirmed COVID-19 cases, or more than half of the state’s 28,309 cases.
“I’ve seen a lot of buzz on social media from people who think beaches in Miami-Dade County are opening up,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez tweeted on Sunday afternoon. “This is not the case. Although we’re consulting with medical experts on the future opening of public spaces, there is currently no timeline for opening beaches.”
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told the Miami Herald on Sunday, “We would be extremely concerned about opening up our beaches to throngs of folks coming from everywhere. And you really can’t limit your beaches. You can’t just say, ‘Residents only.’”
Opened or opening Florida beaches
Beaches that were closed and are now open or scheduled to reopen will face a combination of time or activity restrictions. (Monroe County did not close its beaches but the Florida Keys is on a lockdown to non-residents.)
These include:
▪ Flagler County on Florida’s East Coast reopened for limited recreational activities on Wednesday, NBC 6 reported.
▪ Bay County beaches in Florida’s Panhandle will open Friday, April 24, with restricted hours of 6 a.m.-9 a.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m., WJHG 7 reported. Bay County includes Panama City Beach, a popular spot for spring breakers.
▪ Gulf County beaches opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday with the same hours that neighboring Bay County will enforce.
▪ Okaloosa County will open its beaches on May 1 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. It’s home to Destin, a popular beach resort.
▪ Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach in Brevard County are open with social distancing rules intact, Florida Today reported.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 6:51 PM.
