Anna Maria Island beaches reopen to smiles, not crowds
The clear turquoise water and white-sugar sand glistened under clear blue skies on Monday morning as Manatee County residents were welcomed back to their local paradise.
It was enough to attract flocks of beach-goers to Anna Maria Island beaches for the first time in more than six weeks because of the closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaches officially reopened to the public at 10 a.m. Monday.
By 2 p.m., the limited parking at Manatee Public Beach was approaching max capacity. Near the pavilion area, separate groups sat at least 6 feet apart but some gathered in parties of 10 people or more.
While groups maintained social distancing guidelines, not everyone felt that such close proximity was a good idea, especially with tons of open space further down the shore.
Sitting on a bench near the dunes, Bradenton resident Joyce Smalling said she couldn’t understand why anyone would risk being that close to strangers during a pandemic.
“I’m surprised they’re congregating at the pavilion. It doesn’t take much effort to walk down a few more feet,” said Smalling, who felt beaches should’ve remained open during the outbreak.
“Paying attention to the rules is the whole thing, but there’s always someone who doesn’t follow the rules,” she added.
Some beach-goers didn’t wait for public parking to officially open early Monday morning.
Wearing a mask and bathing suit, Dr. Reyna Piskova, an ophthalmologist who lives in Bradenton, was leaving just as Manatee Public Beach officially opened.
“I’m a doctor, I know better,” Piskova said.
Piskova had been stuck at home for 40 days, but she feared that the beach would get crowded. She knows the potential dangers that the situation presents.
But now that the beach is officially open, she does hope to visit every day before the morning crowds arrive.
“I’m a swimmer,” Piskova said. “I missed the beach.”
Another beach visitor, John Stevens from Bradenton, said he was surprised to see such a large crowd on Day 1 and was impressed with the Manatee County government’s accommodations.
“For a Monday, this is a lot of people,” Stevens said. “I was pleased to see how well organized the parking was. That gives a feeling of safety.”
Upon arriving at Manatee Public Beach, drivers had to stop and get a parking pass from a county employee. The pass includes an extra 15 minutes in the time limit to account for the time it takes people to unload and actually get out onto the beach.
“Our goal today is to allow the people of Manatee to come out and enjoy the beach today,” Manatee County code enforcement officer Zach Stiscak said. “We’re going to be courteous and allow them their two hours with a window before any kind of citation is written.”
Parking passes must be placed on the dashboard and will be monitored, but code enforcement officers won’t be ticketing cars until they go over three hours. A citation will come with a $25 fine.
In Bradenton Beach, closed beach signs were replaced with 2-hour parking signs at Cortez Beach. Coquina Beach parking remained closed, as a drainage construction project continued.
Visiting from her home in West Virginia, Elizabeth Whitcker and her children were on Cortez Beach before 10 a.m. since the parking had already been opened. They also hoped to beat the crowds.
“We’re down here at my aunt’s house so we could quarantine for 14 days so we’d be ready when the beaches were opened,” Whitcker said.
As a school nurse, Whitcker takes the self-quarantine precautions seriously.
Since schools were closed 46 days ago, she and her children have been home she said, while her husband has been working from home.
“So we were about to kill each other, and I have been talking to my aunt,” Whitcker said.
Together, she and her aunt devised the plan. She and the children intend to stay to mid-May before driving back home to West Virginia, where they will quarantine at home for 14 days, also.
“We’ve been strict since my aunt has a pool at her house, and we’ve had groceries and fast food ordered in,” she added. “So that was nice and convenient.”
Leslie Emerson, of Palmetto, was among the early morning beach walkers and runners.
“If people stay away from each other, I think it’s good for people to get exercise and fresh air,” Emerson said.
Unlike others struggling with working from home, Emerson is used to it.
“I’ve been working from home for years, but I love and missed the beach,” Emerson said.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
