Some Key West restaurants stayed open past coronavirus cutoff. What happens next?
Several Key West restaurants — Caroline’s, Fogarty’s, Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant, Waterfront Brewery, Jack Flats, Tavern ‘N Town — stayed open past the city’s 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to close shop and only offer take out or delivery.
Way past.
“I haven’t seen an order,” said Joe Walsh, who owns Fogarty’s and Caroline’s, which are both on Duval Street, and other restaurants, on Tuesday night. “I’m adhering to the governor’s restrictions completely.”
Key West Mayor Teri Johnston’s order went further than Gov. Ron DeSantis’ shutdown of all bars and clubs in Florida and limiting restaurants to 50 percent capacity and to space out tables.
Johnston told restaurants to end on-site dining and only do takeout or delivery.
City officials said it may take 24 hours to implement the unprecedented order banning on-site dining. Walsh is not in any legal trouble, they said.
“We sat down with him and explained to him how it works and Joe Walsh has given his word he will comply,” City Manager Greg Veliz said. “We understood there was going to be a level of non-compliance. We believe the business community was extremely receptive. We feel we were at 90 percent. We thank everyone for doing that.”
Asked why the city didn’t shut down Fogarty’s and the rest of the places not complying with Johnston’s order, Veliz said, ““That’s not the message we’re sending. We are looking for compliance.”
No cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Florida Keys, where 21 people had been tested as of Tuesday. Some tests are pending results.
Duval Street on Tuesday night was in regular party mode for St Patrick’s Day, as patrons lined up to eat at Fogarty’s, which had limited seating due to the governor’s orders.
Other owners said this was unfair.
“The restaurants that were open and serving customers that I had to refuse seating to are basically stealing from my waiters,” said Mark Bailey, owner of Goldman’s Deli in the city’s New Town neighborhood for the past 22 years. “Waiters are your partners, not your employees. I’m trying to keep people employed.”
Most restaurants seemed to be following the mayor’s directive. But business has been off already due to the coronavirus pandemic, some owners said.
On a good day, takeout and delivery for his place amounted to 30 percent of business, Bailey said. That was before coronavirus.
“That assumes a full town with everyone working and having money,” Bailey said. “Locals are a big part of my business and a lot of them are bartenders and make a living off of cruise ships. It’s going to be hard for them to order anything whether it’s standing up or sitting down.”
Locals took to social media to slam the restaurants for staying open while other places shut down promptly at 5 p.m. Many called it unfair while others said it was reckless in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
But Duval Street on Tuesday was jammed with traffic and had plenty of tourists wearing their St. Patrick Day’s green and swilling beers and other alcoholic drinks in public, which is prohibited by law in Key West.
“Don’t kill the mood, reporter,” a young woman in a green T-shirt with matching beads said when told restaurants were supposed to be closed to customers.
Sloppy Joe’s led the way on Tuesday, closing in advance of the mayor’s order due to coronavirus, saying they hoped they were setting an example for others to follow.
“The Smallest Bar closed yesterday along with Sloppy Joe’s,” said Dix James, who has owned the diminutive bar on Duval for 19 years and has four employees. “Size doesn’t matter.
James said, “It gives Key West a bad name. Not to mention, it facilitates the spread of the virus and endangers those people, workers and us that reside here.”
The City Commission had set a special meeting for Tuesday but canceled it, in light of the governor’s order, a city spokeswoman said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 11:10 AM.
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