Officials order everyone off Manatee County beaches because of coronavirus

Manatee County beaches will be closed until further notice as of 6 a.m. Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic, county officials said Thursday.

The closure includes public beaches in all three Anna Maria Island municipalities: Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. The Manatee County portion of Longboat Key is also included. The announcement came after Anna Maria Island mayors met with Manatee County officials on Thursday morning to discuss the latest developments at the beaches.

All beaches in Sarasota County also will be closed.

The city of Anna Maria was the first to announce beach closures in a message posted to the city website on Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon, the indefinite closure of all Anna Maria Island beaches was announced by Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur during a joint press conference with Sarasota County officials.

“We want the public to understand that we take this very seriously and they need to heed the messaging of social distancing and stay home, especially if they’re sick,” Saur told the Bradenton Herald afterward.

Blocking access is the primary way the county will try to enforce the closure. Access to public parking on beaches will be blocked.

Electronic signs provided by the Florida Department of Transportation will announce the beach closure to anyone driving onto the island on Cortez Road or Manatee Avenue West. To ensure that message is clear to any visitors that may be looking for open beaches, the electronic signs on Interstate 75 from Manatee County line south to Charlotte County will be also let drivers know that “coastal beaches are closed.”

Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach police, along with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in Anna Maria, will be assisting. Marine Rescue and Code Enforcement will also be increasing their staffs on the beaches to help get the message to the public and keep them off the beaches.

“The overall marching message is, we are not trying to put you in jail, but we want the public to take these measures,” Saur said.

Sarasota County’s public beaches will close at 6 a.m. Saturday and they will take similar approached to enforcement, with closing off access, signs and staffing the beaches, according to county administrator Jonathan Lewis.

The closures, however, will not apply to beach access from private property.

Local officials had held off on closing beaches and said residents were mostly following social distance requirements. But they feared that beaches closing elsewhere in the state would cause an influx of additional beachgoers.

Last day at the beach

Beachgoers took the news with mixed reactions.

“That really sucks,” said Taylor Smith, who drove down from Lakeland for a day trip during spring break. “We live in Lakeland and there’s nothing to do.”

Brianna Jones was laying on the beach as blue-green waves gently washed the shoreline just yards away from her and Smith. Jones said both she and Smith go to school and work so they don’t stay on the island, but they wouldn’t choose anywhere else to be despite the two-hour drive.

“Anna Maria is the spot,” Jones said. “It’s our favorite place to come.”

Practicing social distancing, Daniella Fernandez and Melissa Cruz were several yards away. Cruz pointed up and down the shoreline, noting, “People are keeping their distance. I don’t feel threatened at all. I understand it’s all for prevention, but I work in a medical office. I’m more threatened there than coming to the beach.”

Fernandez said it wouldn’t have been necessary if everyone would have just followed the early guidelines set by President Donald Trump to social distance and self quarantine if necessary.

“And it’s not like the beaches in Miami,” Fernandez said. “Everyone here is not breathing down each other’s necks. It’s not going to be easy, especially because it’s summer and everything else is closing down.”

Not all beachgoers were shocked by the news.

“I get it,” said John Kowaski, who is halfway through his four-month vacation from Michigan. “You know what, they seem to be not taking this thing seriously. If they got to shut it down, they have to shut it down.”

Kowaski said Thursday was a different picture than Wednesday when people were packed much closer together. He won’t let it ruin his vacation, however. When asked what he’ll do for the rest of his vacation, he said, “Walk, bike and hang at the pool. I have no plan of leaving anytime soon.”

The parking lot at Manatee Beach was nearly full on Thursday afternoon.

A band set up outside the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe, workers continued building a new lifeguard tower and visitors lined the sand.

Many were unaware of the impending closures, but Jason Benn knew that life was about to change. Benn manages the cafe’s tiki bar, and he said COVID-19 hit at the busiest time of year.

“All of the service industry here on the island is going to suffer for it,” he said.

The tiki bar usually has its highest earnings during this time of year, and a portion of that money is used to keep the business afloat during slower months.

Thursday’s announcement could have dire consequences, Benn said.

“People will probably end up falling behind on car payments or rent. I could see people losing apartments, getting evicted and everything else,” he continued.

The Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe and Coquina Beach Cafe, which are owned by Manatee County, will be shut down during the beach closure.

The crowds at Coquina Beach were lively but more dispersed. A parasail drifted by the Coquina Cafe while a group played volleyball nearby.

The cafe’s manager, Sue O’Neill, was both nervous and understanding.

“It’s a tough time of the year for this to happen, but it’s happening all over the world,” O’Neal said. “We have to keep the public safe,” she continued.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 2:15 PM.