A huge indoor theme park reopened in South Florida. Only some activities are allowed.
When Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale opened its doors Wednesday for the first time in nearly three months, a lot had changed. For one, much of its over 200,000 square feet of indoor attractions — including an arcade, bowling lanes and laser tag — remained closed.
The activities that did open, like roller skating, had measures in place that would have seemed foreign in a pre-COVID-19 world. “Minimum one team member per shift assigned as ‘social distancing police’ on the rink,” reads one of the safety guidelines listed on the indoor theme park’s website.
Other precautions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19: hand sanitizer stations at the rink’s entrance, the sanitizing of skates in between uses, and “sneeze guards” installed at the front counter.
With the permission of Broward County officials, Xtreme Action Park also reopened its go-kart track, ropes course, basketball courts and cafe Wednesday, all with restrictions in place. The line for the ropes course, for example, has markers on the floor to promote social distancing, and harnesses must be sanitized between uses, the park’s website says.
“Thank you so much for coming back,” an employee told the first group of visitors to walk through the park’s doors Wednesday morning, all wearing masks.
The park, which is owned by real estate developer Michael Dezer and touts itself as the largest indoor entertainment facility in Fort Lauderdale, is the first of its kind in South Florida to get the green light from county officials to reopen.
Some outdoor family-friendly attractions, like Zoo Miami, have reopened with new rules in place. But indoor spaces have been a tougher sell for local governments. Broward County and Miami-Dade County have explicitly excluded bowling alleys, arcades and movie theaters from their reopening plans thus far.
Xtreme Action Park submitted a safety plan to Broward County Mayor Dale Holness on May 22, arguing it should be allowed to reopen under a May 14 executive order by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that said amusement parks could open if they submit a plan to the state with the endorsement of their county mayor.
DeSantis has already approved a plan for Universal Orlando to reopen this Friday. Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach, part of Palm Beach County, announced Wednesday that it, too, will reopen Friday after getting county and state approval.
Florida’s other major theme parks will likely follow. SeaWorld Orlando is targeting June 11, while Disney is looking to open its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks July 11. They may be followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.
Last week, the Broward County attorney’s office said it was still considering whether an indoor facility like Xtreme Action Park should fall under the purview of the governor’s order on amusement parks. But in the meantime, the county said, certain amenities within the park could open immediately under the county’s emergency orders, which have become less restrictive in recent weeks.
“We believe all other areas fall within one of the prohibited categories and are thus not allowed to operate,” the county attorney’s office wrote.
On May 21, Broward County announced that most businesses could reopen with restrictions. Exceptions include bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades, but amusement parks aren’t mentioned by name.
“The reopening is consistent with all of the current Emergency Orders and practices,” Michael Pizzi, an attorney for Xtreme Action Park, said in a statement. “If people can go to the beach and the mall and their favorite restaurant, then they can certainly go with their families to experience safe entertainment.”
Miami-Dade County hasn’t taken the same approach so far. The county’s “new normal” guidelines name amusement parks, amusement industries and arcades in its fifth and final stage of reopening. Bowling alleys and “recreation industries” fall under the fourth phase, coded by the county using the color green.
The county moved to the third, or yellow, phase of its plan with a limited reopening of businesses in mid-May. Dezerland Park in North Miami, which is also owned by Dezer, remains closed and has yet to submit a plan to the county because of the restrictions.
In its letter to Xtreme Action Park last week, Broward County officials suggested they are keeping a close eye on Miami-Dade’s approach, and could still reverse course on allowing parts of the Fort Lauderdale park to open.
“We must make you aware that while the orders currently do not prohibit the uses we have identified above, Miami-Dade County has closed indoor amusement facilities such as yours,” the county attorney’s office said.
“The Broward County Administrator could also choose to expressly close these facilities,” the email continued. “Therefore, while today the above uses are not prohibited, we do not know whether that will continue to be the case.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 4:19 PM.
