MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County reopened beaches today with no restrictions, with the only limitation is on parking.
Sarasota County followed suit and relaxed its rules Monday as well.
When you drive up to any Manatee County beach you're greeted by a person at a tent. That's where you get your parking pass.
"Here's your parking pass. It's a two-hour time limit,” a county worker said. “Make sure you display this on your dash, so you don't get a ticket okay? Instructions are on the back in case you need it and here's some COVID information. We've got some testing sites coming up.”
Code enforcement is there to make sure you follow the rules. So far on Monday, they say they had no problems and had written no citations.
Out on the sand, people were soaking up the sun.
"Oh, it's wonderful! The weather is beautiful, and it feels like we're getting back to a little bit of normalcy,” Tarah Green said.
It felt like any other day at the beach, but you still must practice social distancing.
“I think people need to be responsible,” Green said. “I think if people are smart about what they do, cautious of other people, we're going to get through this.”
Some feel reopening the beaches was a bad idea.
“The medical professionals in Manatee County are saying that the numbers are still on the rise and that we have not had enough testing to properly get those statistics that are needed,” Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer said. “So, opening up the largest playground in Manatee County for a mass amount of people to come we think that it's just a little bit premature.”
Tokajer is hoping to keep the crowds down by leaving some parking closed in Holmes Beach.
“We are not permitting any parking on any street, on any right of way, or on any beach access at this time. It's a tow-away zone,” Tokajer said.
Over in Sarasota County, parking also looks a little different. There’s no more looking for a spot on the street. Parking lots are now fully open.
Plus, restrictions on the sand have been lifted. You can now bring coolers, chairs and umbrellas. But, there are some areas still off-limits, like the playgrounds, concessions and sand volleyball courts.
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