Despite pandemic, Anna Maria Island beaches packed to kick off Memorial Day weekend

The new normal looked a lot like the old normal on Saturday as Anna Maria Island traffic crawled along at a snail’s pace, taking more than an hour to get to the island on the first holiday weekend since beaches reopened amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The sign leading to Bradenton Beach on Cortez Road said it all: “Beach public parking full.”

For those who didn’t believe the sign, they were met with police cars blocking full parking lots and not a space was available along Cortez Beach on the way to Coquina Beach.

Dave Martinez was double parked, hazards blinking away as the hot sun beat down on him. He had braved the traffic and had no intention of giving up as he kept a watchful eye on a line of parked cars along Cortez Beach waiting for someone to leave. He wasn’t the only one with that strategy.

“What are you gonna do? We came all this way,” Martinez said. “I sent the family up to the beach and I’m waiting for a parking spot.”

The beaches were packed, but much like when they first reopened, large groups gathered, but distanced themselves from other groups.

The only time beach patrol had to really talk to anyone was for a baby gender reveal party. Even though about 20 people gathered around for hugs, it was the confetti they released in the water that was the concern.

The happy young couple are having a girl, by the way.

A little further down from the celebration, on the northern end of Coquina sat Toni Scherman glistening in the sun. Scherman is fairly new to Bradenton, living in the area for a couple of years after a lifetime in Minnesota.

A little traffic and large crowds is a fair price to pay when trading in white sand for white snow, Scherman said.

“This is my first time back to the beach since they closed it,” she said. “It’s wonderful, but I didn’t think it would be this crowded. I used to come often because this is my happy place.”

Scherman said she believes Florida and Manatee County have handled the pandemic pretty well all things considered.

“I understand being overly cautious at first,” she said. “I’m glad to see things reopening at the pace they are because we still need to be careful. I’m lucky that my job was considered essential and I’m still working. Who I feel really bad for is all the people who have been out of a job and those people who may not have a job to come back to. I feel so sorry for them.”

Even newer to the Bradenton area is Boston McGuire, who was keeping a watchful eye on her toddler son as he kept trying to make a mad dash to the shoreline.

McGuire has only been in the area for two weeks after he left Washington State’s rainy and dreary winters in exchange for sunshine and blue water.

McGuire said Washington State’s restrictions were a lot stricter, noting she was isolated to her apartment for nine straight weeks.

“I had to have groceries delivered and do doctor appointments over the phone,” she said. “I was getting depressed. I needed to be with family so packed up and left. It’s so great to be out in the sun with family. It’s so beautiful here. Way prettier than Clearwater Beach.”

McGuire said she believes all of the early precautions were necessary, but also believes Florida’s plan to reopen, “is a great thing.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 3:30 PM.