Checkpoint opens in Florida Keys to keep tourists out. The aim: reduce COVID-19 risks
Law enforcement began staffing two checkpoints into the Florida Keys Friday morning to keep tourists out as part of Monroe County’s efforts to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The checkpoints were erected at mile marker 112.5 on the 18 Mile Stretch of U.S. 1, the part of the highway that leads from Florida City on the mainland to Key Largo, and on County Road 905, the less traveled route to and from the Keys.
They are staffed primarily by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Florida Highway Patrol troopers and officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers said the decision to prohibit tourists from coming into the Keys, which was made earlier this week, was difficult, but ultimately officials determined it was necessary.
“I hope they understand we’re doing this to protect them as well as our residents,” Carruthers said Friday. “It’s not a decision for us that was easy to make, because it’s not what the Keys are about. But, these are extraordinary times, not just here, but globally.”
There is no timeline for how long the checkpoints will be in place. Only property owners and people who show they legitimately work in the Keys can pass through the roadblocks.
UPDATE: The Florida Keys set up checkpoints to keep tourists out. They may come down Sunday
“The sooner we can get this under control, the sooner we can get back to doing what we do, and that’s enjoying our paradise,” Carruthers said Friday.
Kristen Livengood, county spokeswoman, said the checkpoints will be staffed 24 hours a day. The need to keep them open will be evaluated daily.
As of Friday, the Florida Department of Health confirmed there were 16 cases of COVID-19 in the Keys. There have been no deaths linked to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease; four people have been hospitalized. In the state, 2,900 have tested positive, according to the health department.
The county ordered all hotels and lodgings, including short-term rentals, closed last week, and all tourists were told to leave last Sunday. Carruthers said earlier this week that many business owners and officials in municipalities like Islamorada, Marathon and Key West wanted the checkpoints in place to make it easier to enforce rules put in place since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting the Keys.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said Thursday that deputies will be out on the water helping Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers make sure boaters aren’t crowding around the popular sandbars partying and potentially spreading the virus.
According to the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, tourism, including the hotel and restaurant industries, generated $1.8 billion for the local economy in 2018 and supports 26,500 jobs.
On top of the economic hit felt from the hotels closing, all restaurants and bars in the state were ordered to close their dining rooms last week and stay open only for takeout and delivery customers. Both decisions came at the height of the busy winter tourist season, on which most businesses in South Florida rely to get them through the rest of the year.
And, by many accounts, this year’s season was one of the busiest in recent memory — until the coronavirus crisis reached the island chain.
“The month of February and the beginning of March was going great,” said Adela Munoz, owner of Keys Bite in Key Largo.
Munoz opened Keys Bite six years ago in a building that used to be a Taco Bell. Since then, it has become a local favorite.
But because she’s only handling takeout and delivery customers, business has suffered significantly, Munoz said. She’s trying to schedule as many of her employees as possible, but she estimates staffing is down as much as 80 percent per shift.
“A lot of the reason we’re staying open is for them,” Munoz said. “We want to give them a few shifts so they can pay their bills. We’re asking our local community to support our local businesses, because it’s this kind of business that’s hurting the most.”
Next door at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, owners Paula and Angela Wittke were working with manager Nicolas Rodriguez and cooks prepping lunch orders with bags of takeout food on the bar waiting to be picked up.
Paula said that while she was staffing a skeleton crew compared to what she needed when the front of the house was packed for lunch and dinner, takeout business has been steady during new operating hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“It’s going good,” she said. “We’re hanging in there.”
Angela preferred brighter language to describe the atmosphere at the popular eatery.
“We’re going to get through this on the other side, and it’s going to be brighter days and sunshine,” she said.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 9:02 AM.
