Officials Brace For Packed Beaches On Easter, Memorial Day

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Thirteen Manatee County officials and law enforcement agencies are working together to prepare for thousands of visitors to beaches in the county over Easter and Memorial Day weekends, as well as other holidays.

“It’s critical for Manatee County to work in unison with our island partners and local law enforcement agencies to keep all beachgoers safe, so that they have a safe place to enjoy this island and this community while they’re on break or taking some much-needed downtown from their hectic schedules,” Jacob Saur, the county’s public safety director, said during a Tuesday news conference on Coquina Beach.

In South Florida, Miami Beach officials declared a state of emergency and enacted a curfew after unruly spring breakers wreaked havoc in the coastal island city. Problems ranged from fights and property destruction to gunfire and stampedes.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Miami-area hotels are saw about 90 percent occupancy rates for weekend bookings during the spring break season, and thousands of visitors, Business Insider reported.

While Manatee County might not see the same amount of spring break tourism traffic as South Florida hotspots, county leaders are still bracing for Sunday, which is Easter and one of its busiest beach days of the year.

Joe Westerman, the county’s beach patrol chief, said the county’s two public beaches is expecting about 35,000 visitors on Easter and other upcoming holidays. That breaks down to about 20,000 people on Cortez Beach and another 12,000 to 15,000 on Manatee Beach, he said.

Meanwhile, between March 1-26, about 650,000 cars have visited Holmes Beach. That’s 27,400 cars a day, said Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer. That number will likely increase during the holiday weekend.

“There’s a lot more people than you think on the beach and it’s very crowded out there,” he said.

All 13 agencies and county departments have established a way to communicate with one another during these busy periods and have also pledged additional resources to the beaches.

Officials also stressed that all visitors must follow the rules of each beach.

“We do not allow any alcohol on our beaches,” Tokajer said.

The same goes for pets, gas bottles, fires or grills unless in an assigned grilling area, he said.

The chief added, “It’s important that you remember that you’re vacationing in a residential area. So, keep your noise to a respectable level…We want you to come out here and have a good time, but at the same time, we want you to be respectful of our residents and our island.”

Alcohol and pets are also not allowed on Cortez and Manatee public beaches, Westerman said, adding, “If you prepare and plan ahead for your day at the beach, it will be a successful and fun day.”

There’s also no alcohol permitted on Longboat Key and parking is limited, Longboat Key Police Lt. Chris Skinner said.

One year into the pandemic, “COVID-19 is still prevalent and still very much around in our community,” Saur added, noting that visitors “should practice social distancing, although we are out in the open, and wear a mask when you can’t social distance.”