The Florida Keys aren’t open to tourists yet. But you can make a hotel reservation now
Feel free to book a hotel or resort stay in the Florida Keys.
Monroe County leaders on Friday announced lodging facilities may now take reservations again even though the Keys remain officially closed to visitors.
‘We’ve got to start sometime,” said Phil Amsterdam, owner of Amsterdam’s Curry Mansion bed and breakfast in Key West. “It’s a very good sign.”
The catch is your vacation plans may get postponed even further.
“The vacation stays cannot be fulfilled unless the local state of emergency is no longer in effect,” said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.
That means the county would have to take down its two checkpoints, one on the 18-mile stretch of U.S. 1 and the other on County Road 905 and do away with screenings at Key West and Marathon airports.
Since the checkpoints started on March 27, more than 10,000 cars have been sent back to the mainland, county officials said.
Monroe has not announced a reopening date for tourism but has already ruled out May, and leaders have said the ban could be “potentially longer.”
At the same time, Keys leaders have been slowly relaxing restrictions, such as allowing restaurants to reopen their dining rooms to locals on May 4 at 25 percent capacity and welcoming back nonessential stores, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent order.
Starting Monday, Key West gave restaurant owners two weeks during which they must obtain thermometers to screen guests before they enter, but allowed them to serve customers on-site again.
“I think business has demonstrated an ability to safely open,” Scott Atwell, CEO and executive vice president of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, said of the hotel bookings go-ahead.
Tourism is back in places such as Pensacola and Daytona Beach, with occupancy rates of 50 and 45 percentm respectively, Atwell said.
Beaches and parks in the Keys have reopened but bars, gyms and salon and spa services remain closed.
Other signs of new life emerged this week in Key West.
City leaders said Friday they’ll reopen City Hall, 1300 White St., on Monday to the public — with limitations. Only five people at a time may be inside the building and the entrance is limited to the service desk at the rear of City Hall off United Street.
People entering the building must wear face masks and have their temperatures taken, said city spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
“Social distance parameters will be clearly marked,” Crean said.
The city has continued doing business remotely throughout the pandemic, Crean said.
“This cautious opening is aimed at allowing some transactions that require a give and take between individuals,” she said.
The city is “stepping into the new normal.” Crean said. “If we continue to follow these precautions, we can carefully restart our economic engine.”
Although Monroe hasn’t been a hot spot for COVID-19 infections, and remained at 80 known cases this week with three deaths, its neighbors on the mainland have been suffering in comparison.
Monroe leaders have praised the road checkpoints, meant to limit entry to the Keys to residents, property owners and workers, with keeping the Keys’ infection rate lower than in other counties.
“Emergency Management continues to closely monitor infection rates in Monroe County, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties and other hot spots that frequently travel to the Florida Keys,” Livengood said.
Life in the Lower Keys remains relatively quiet, with some reopenings that reflect how Key West is such a small town at heart.
Key West residents this week saw the reopening of some local favorites: the Salvation Army’s thrift store and the sole Dairy Queen, which seemed to be welcomed back with more cheer than even the beaches.
“It’s something they grew up with,” said owner Lisa Delio. “It was built in the ‘50s. It’s always been a Dairy Queen. I still get stories from people. Their grandparents took them there or their grandmothers used to work there.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
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