Nearly all of Florida’s beach communities continue to go it alone in deciding whether to close their sandy shores to guard against the spread of coronavirus as the governor has refused to issue a statewide order to close them.
The Florida Keys in the south will close to visitors, but at the other end of the state, Panama City Beach’s chamber of commerce declared Thursday that beaches there aren’t closed and the town is “open for business.”
The mishmash of local orders on Florida beaches comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis — at the height of spring break rush — said Tuesday that he would not order the beaches closed, although he did limit parties on beaches to 10 people per group.
On Friday, DeSantis followed that up with an executive order closing beaches and certain other businesses in two counties, Broward and Palm Beach, deemed to be at particular risk for the spread of coronavirus. The other businesses include movie theaters, concert houses and fitness studios.
Florida’s total number of coronavirus cases rose to 520 as of Friday, all of them state residents except 46, and 10 people have died, according to the state’s department of health. Another thousand people were being monitored. Broward County had 124 cases and Palm Beach County 34.
Despite the lack of a statewide order to close beaches, many local officials have taken that action on their own, while some are steadfastly keeping them open.
In Panama City Beach on the Florida Panhandle, beaches remain open.
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Some residents on social media expressed disgust with the decision, and one has started a petition to urge Mayor Mike Thomas to close the beaches. Panama City Beach is choosing “profits over life,” one resident posted on Facebook. “Sorry people, but this is a real threat to our world and our country as we know it.”
“If you have kids on spring break it would be real smart to call them home,” the resident added.
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NBC News reached out to the city’s mayor, chamber of commerce, visitors’ center and numerous local officials for comments, but did not immediately hear back.
A city councilman said local authorities are awaiting instructions from the state Department of Health and the governor before deciding to close, NBC affiliate WJHG in Panama City reported.
“This situation is constantly evolving and its very fluid and its moving rapidly, and we are monitoring it with our staff and we are prepared to take action if need be,” City Councilman Paul Casto said. “If it comes a time, to protect the public health, we come to take that action I’m sure this council will probably do the right thing.”
The councilman added that police are working to make sure people keep a safe distance from each other and follow other beach restrictions, such as the 10-person limit.
The city government said signs have been installed on the beach to remind people to “maintain social distancing.”
But photos showed beachgoers clustered in groups of dozens.
Meanwhile, on the state’s southern tip in Monroe County, which encompasses most Florida Keys beaches, officials are closing the area off to visitors. The county’s emergency management department on Thursday ordered hotels, guest houses, short-term rentals in RV parks and vacation rentals to close for at least two weeks starting at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Long-term vacation home renters can stay until the end of the contracts, according to the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. And restaurants in the county are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity to serve residents.
County beaches will remain open to residents to promote “mental and physical health,” the emergency management department said, with the 10-person limit on groups enforced.
“We know that closing down the tourism industry is a major inconvenience for our visitors,” said Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers. “We also understand the economic impacts all Keys businesses and families will likely face.”
“But the health and safety of our visitors and residents are paramount,” she said.
There is one confirmed coronavirus case in the Keys, according to Bob Eadie, the administrator and health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County.
Pinellas County, where idillic beach destinations Clearwater and St. Petersburg are located, changed direction and decided to close its beaches Friday before noon. The Pinellas County Commission on unanimously voted unanimously Thursday to close the beaches, a day after the sheriff’s department said resolutely that “after much consideration and deliberation,” the county was keeping its beaches open.
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Clearwater had already independently voted to close its beaches starting Monday.
All public beaches in Miami-Dade County closed Thursday night, Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced Wednesday.
Beaches in Lee County also close Thursday night, according to county officials. Popular beach vacation spots Fort Myers and Sanibel are in Lee County.
Public beaches in Tampa are also closed until further notice, city officials said. Naples announced Wednesday that it would close its beaches until at least March 30.
And Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale shut down their beaches on Monday.
