Miami Beach Mayor Won't Reopen Beaches Until At Least June
MIAMI BEACH, FL — Saying "we are not Jacksonville," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on Monday conceded it is unlikely the city's famous beaches will reopen before early June.
"I'm sorry but we will just have to do without beach access for the near future," Gelber said in a video emailed to residents. He said it would be a "nightmare" to enforce limits on beach use or restrict nonresidents from visiting the city's beaches.
"Some are questioning why they cannot be reopened just for Miami Beach residents," Gelber shared in the video. "We cannot legally open up our beaches just for our residents. It's not permitted under Florida law at all. So, If we open them up, we open them up to anyone from anywhere who wants to enjoy them."
A Florida-wide task force is meeting this week to discuss a phased reopening of the state. The task force is being asked to provide recommendations to Gov. Ron DeSantis by the end of this week on a short-term plan for reopening the state, which may or may not include beaches. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez also held a virtual town meeting Monday to discuss a reopening strategy.
Jacksonville's Duval County reopened its beaches Friday night despite a number of new cases of the virus there. News video showed people flagrantly disregarding social distancing guidelines and restrictions imposed with the reopening.
Gelber said Miami Beach attracts too many people from too many places to risk reopening the beaches at this time.
"Unlike other places, our beaches are entirely open and accessible," Gelber said. "If we open, it is certain that many, many thousands will flock to our miles of open beaches in South Beach, in North Beach and in between — young people on permanent spring break, and many people just itching to get out."
The mayor said it is likely other public spaces like parks will open in the near future.
"There will be a loosening of restrictions for some of our recreational areas very soon," Gelber said. "Most of our parks will soon be available for mostly passive activities with some limited opportunities for recreation. Tot lots and workout areas which encourage constant touching will be closed."
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He said most team sports in which social distancing is impractical will also be prohibited. "The same will occur with our golf courses and marina," Gelber said. "They will be open, but with limits to promote social distancing."
The city's many hotels and restaurants will also remain closed or with limited services in the case of restaurants.
"For the very immediate future, we are in no position to open up in any meaningful way," he said. "We are still in the midst of this crisis. We have not bottomed out, and we know that the virus is still spreading in our community."
Members of the city’s two public golf courses — Normandy Shores and Miami Beach — raised some $50,000 through a GoFundMe and other donations to assist 85 golf course employees. The effort was spearheaded by Miami Beach resident Richard McKnight.
Gelber said city officials have reached out to the business community for recommendations on how to undertake a phased reopening when it is appropriate to do so.
"We've also reached out to health care experts who are available to pressure test the viability and safety of these measures," the mayor said.
He foresees challenges as testing ramps up ahead of any future reopening.
"We will not rush into a reopening," Gelber said. "I believe part of the reason why this has been such a deadly pandemic is that our nation responded with counter measures too little too late. It would be horrible if we repeated the mistake as we navigate out of this pandemic by doing too much, too soon."
This article originally appeared on the Miami Patch
