SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Concerns over the coronavirus pandemic pushed Sarasota County Commissioners in March to close all public beaches and parking lots. Beaches in Sarasota County have been empty for nearly a month, but one county commissioner is pushing for that to change.
In a Facebook post, Commissioner Christian Ziegler said he wants the commission to discuss the possibility of opening the beaches.
“I think it’s an important discussion we need to have,” Ziegler said. “Look at society as a whole, we’ve been bunkered down, everything has been shut down. We have to come back online soon because our economy depends on it.”
In Ziegler’s post he asked the community what they wanted. He gave three options for the public to vote on. Either 1) keep beaches closed, 2) fully open them with no restrictions, or 3) have them open for only essential activities like walking, running, and swimming, but not allowing crowds to congregate.
His post stirred up a lot of opinions. A large majority wanted the beaches to fully open with no restrictions. Other comments said to keep them closed saying, “I love the beach and miss it terribly, but I value human life more.”
“Local government, our job is to hear from everyone and then make those tough decisions,” Ziegler said.
On Wednesday, April 22, the Sarasota County Commissioners will meet to discuss the possibility of opening their beaches. Ziegler says, because of Sunshine Law he cannot talk to other commissioners to see where they stand on the idea.
Other local governments across Florida are having similar discussions. Jacksonville Beach has already reopened for those who want to walk, bike, swim, or fish.
Commissioners in Pinellas County tried to open beaches with those same restrictions but decided to keep them closed until the coronavirus pandemic declines.
“I don’t want to diminish the seriousness of COVID-19, I think this is a monster we are dealing with and we just have to be smart,” Ziegler said. “I think it’s really difficult to say you can go to Walmart…but you can’t go walk on the beach at night. At the beach it’s very rare to have anyone come within 6 feet of you, that’s almost an invasion of personal privacy.”
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