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Florida beachgoers flouted federal social distancing guidelines after authorities in St. Johns County ignored pleas from a local medical examiner and allowed beaches in the region to remain open through most of March.
Despite repeated warnings to close from a county medical examiner, officials in St. Johns County—home to the city of St. Augustine Beach—kept beaches open for most of March as other states were strictly enforcing their stay-at-home orders. The county later became the last Northeast Florida county to close its beaches on March 29 after officials said large crowds failed to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
According to emails obtained by Columbia University's Brown Institute for Media Innovation and seen by the Washington Post, a county medical examiner, another official and various residents raised concerns in March of large crowds congregating at beaches.
On March 23, Deanna A. Oleske, the associate medical examiner for the county, begged County Administrator Hunter Conrad to shut beaches. "Protect the residents," she wrote. "Close the beaches. Please."
Throughout the month, Oleske continued to plead with officials to close the locations, warning in emails that her office is "in a dire situation" and she didn't possess the resources to handle the pandemic. "We are facing NUMEROUS issues that are inhibiting us to appropriately staff this office in an expeditious manner BEFORE facing a pandemic of unknown proportions," she wrote in one email.
Doug Bataille, the county's parks director, informed country officials in mid-March of "crowds that nearly doubled spring break last year as well as Memorial Day."
Residents also urged the county to limit the COVID-19 spread through beach closures. "People are continuing to pour in," one resident wrote in an email, alongside images of crowded beaches and parking lots. "WAKE UP! DO SOMETHING!!!"
Two weeks after closing its beaches in late March, the county reopened locations in mid-April, but only from 6 a.m. local time until noon and for the sole purpose of physical exercise. However, the restrictions will be relaxed on Monday. Normal activities including sunbathing will be allowed to resume tomorrow, but beachgoers must adhere to additional restrictions. According to a news release from the County Administrator, social distancing measures must be followed at all times and beachgoers will not be permitted to drive on the beach.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) defended various local authorities' decision to reopen beaches amid a looming heatwave last month. "I get a kick out of somebody jogging on the beach in California, like all by his lonesome, and you have a fleet of cops go out there," the governor said during a news conference. "He's just jogging. Going forward, I think we've got to be promoting people to get exercise."
Chuck Mulligan, a spokesperson for the St. Johns Sheriff's Office, told the Post that while some beachgoers have been caught flouting social distancing during the limited reopening, they have only been given verbal warnings. "We try to be human because what's important is that we balance civil rights and flattening the curve," Mulligan said.
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office for comment. This story will be updated with any response.
