Broward County closes all of its parks, except one, amid coronavirus outbreak
Broward County will close all of its parks effective 11:59 p.m. Monday in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The decision includes all county regional, neighborhood and specialty parks, nature centers and natural areas, according to a press release.
The one exception is C.B. Smith Park at 900 North Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines, which is a Florida National Guard and Memorial Healthcare System COVID-19 drive-thru testing site. More than 740 people showed up for testing at C.B. Smith Park on Friday, the first day of testing.
The decision comes the same day the Florida Department of Environmental Protection closed all state parks across the state, as well as fishing bridges in the Florida Keys. Among the state parks closed: Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, John Pennekamp in Key Largo and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale.
Last week, Miami-Dade County closed all of its parks, beaches and marinas.
Monroe County last week also ordered all hotels in the Florida Keys to close and not take reservations.
According to the 6 p.m. Florida Department of Health update Monday evening, Florida has 1,227 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and 18 people have died in connection with the virus.
