Broward County gyms, beaches to reopen
Visitors will be welcomed Tuesday, with restrictions
Broward County’s public beaches, hotels and commercial gyms will be allowed to open Tuesday, two months after the government closed them to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
An order from County Administrator Bertha Henry limits hours of the beaches from sunrise to sunset. No picnicking, sunbathing, sitting or lying on the beach will be allowed, nor will umbrellas, chairs or coolers.
No organized sports will be allowed on the beaches either, and groups of more than 10 people will be prohibited. People must stay 6 feet apart unless they are from the same household or group.
The restrictions are intended to keep people moving and prevent overcrowding. Violators face civil or criminal penalties and
could force the closure of the beaches all over again, Henry’s order states.
“I expect everyone will honor the restrictions and requirements,” said Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy, who said park rangers, police and lifeguards would enforce the rules. “We expect voluntary compliance. People know there’s a risk out there. Hopefully this will be temporary and [we’ll be able to] open the sandy beaches without restrictions like these.”
Fort Lauderdale officials said they will take a similar approach.
“Fort Lauderdale is not interested in criminalizing the recovery,” said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis. “We’re interested in seeking compliance. We’re going to go around and encourage people to distance themselves safely. We want to take a kinder, gentler role. I don’t want this virus to defeat us a community.”
Broward commissioners wanted to push the reopening date until after the Memorial Day weekend to avoid a crush of beachgoers over the holiday weekend.
The beaches won’t open for at least another week in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said his city decided early Friday to open its 7½ miles of beaches and the hotels on June 1 — but is waiting for the county to make it happen.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he expected June 1 to be the opening date “unless our numbers go south on us.” Rules to govern opening of the beaches will be completed Tuesday, he said.
Palm Beach County reopened beaches this past Monday, and beaches around the state have begun to reopen with warnings that people should keep their distance from one another.
At Broward’s hotels, ballroom space must stay closed, and guests must wear facial coverings in common areas. Hotels must keep guest records for 90 days in case the information is needed for contact tracing efforts to track down anybody who might have come into contact with an infected person.
For commercial gyms and fitness centers, patrons must wear facial coverings except when working out and must use hand sanitizer in between each piece of equipment.
County Commissioner Lamar Fisher had pushed for the beach to reopen quickly.
“It’s finally here for our residents to be able to enjoy our beaches once again,” he said.
Pompano Beach Mayor Rex Hardin said people were “calling me all kinds of names because I’m not opening the beaches. And it’s not my ability to open the beaches. Finally, we have some sanity back into the system.”
County Commissioner Michael Udine said medical evidence shows that the coronavirus is less of a risk outdoors. He said he will be glad to see people return to the beach and “enjoy one of the things that makes South Florida great.”