Questions may also be emailed to This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Jetty Park at Port Canaveral. If local news is important to you, consider becoming a digital subscriber to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.SARASOTA COUNTY — Sarasota County’s world-famous beaches have been nearly empty for a month, but that will change on Monday.County commissioners have unanimously decided to open part of the county’s 35 miles of shoreline for biking, running, walking, swimming and surfing.
The parking lots are closed, for nowThis content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Statewide, the death rate among confirmed cases is 4%, according to Department of Health data. “Just because we are opening up the beaches doesn't mean we aren’t taking this virus seriously. See more of the beach and view the Siesta Beach cam "Hall of Fame" and more on the Siesta Beach cam at EarthCam.com. Sarasota County commissioners have unanimously decided to open part of the county’s 35 miles of pristine shoreline for biking, running, walking, swimming and surfing. “Now that everyone is educated on (health guidelines), now it’s time to open up our lives.”#apolloLink{color:#000;background-color:#F4BE11;text-shadow: none;padding: 8px 15px 10px;font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-weight: 600;border-radius:10px;}Commissioners appear to want to “slow walk” opening Sarasota County and plan to have conversations about what that might look like in the coming weeks.Chuck Henry, a health officer with the Florida Department of Health, urged “great caution” as the county begins to discuss loosening up certain restrictions.Whether Florida has seen the worst of the coronavirus crisis is unclear. ©2020 FOX Television Stations While commissioners will revisit the issue in the coming weeks, some feared that it would cause vehicles to pile up in surrounding neighborhoods.County Administrator Jonathan Lewis left it up to municipalities to end or continue their beach closures. “Local city decisions … Sarasota County beach parking lots will remain closed for now. This morning at 6am, Sarasota County officially reopened their public beaches to steady crowds all day long. Laying out, bringing a cooler or chair, however, is still off-limits. It remains closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Venice officials plan to allow some access, with a policy that mirrors the county’s.But citing limited local testing and fearing that lessening restrictions too early could “backfire,” City Manager Tom Barwin said that opening Lido would be “premature.”“We surely do not want to go through this again,” Barwin said. With over 35 miles of beaches, Sarasota County’s coastline acts as a top destination for residents and visitors year-round. Swimming, running and walking is allowed. We recommend viewing common FAQ's regarding COVID-19. I think we’ve done a great job in Sarasota County,” said Sarasota Commissioner Christian Ziegler after Sarasota has seen fewer cases of coronavirus than neighboring counties to the north, but cases in Sarasota tend to have more serious outcomes than in other parts of the state. Elected leaders will reconsider reopening those at a later date. "I think everybody has a lot of stress on them right now, they need some opportunities to get rid of some anxiety and some depression," said Sheriff Knight.Commissioners say they don’t want anyone to let their guards down about the virus but the intent is to let people use the beaches for exercise just like any of the county’s other parks. Laying out, bringing a cooler or chair, however, is still off-limits. The more we can rapidly identify cases and reach out and contact and then quarantine.”Area hospitals have stopped elective surgeries and emptied out most of their beds. County beaches in Sarasota are available for physical activity and some types of recreation: swimming, walking, running, surfing and fishing are now allowed. Taking a scattered approach to it opens too many possible places of confusion and for the virus to spread again.”Jacksonville area were the first to reopen its beaches on Friday — bringing hordes of eager beachgoers back, mostly walking and jogging.Beaches in Flagler County on Florida’s east coast reopened for limited recreation Wednesday. The City of Sarasota will not open Lido Beach at this time. This is a very dangerous situation but we also have to be smart how we react to it.
According to a notice on its website, Port Canaveral officials "have … Of the county’s 321 confirmed cases, 32 have resulted in death, a rate of 10 percent. The next meeting is … “From Charlotte to Venice to Sarasota County, the city and Manatee County.
The parking lots are closed, for nowThis content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Statewide, the death rate among confirmed cases is 4%, according to Department of Health data. “Just because we are opening up the beaches doesn't mean we aren’t taking this virus seriously. See more of the beach and view the Siesta Beach cam "Hall of Fame" and more on the Siesta Beach cam at EarthCam.com. Sarasota County commissioners have unanimously decided to open part of the county’s 35 miles of pristine shoreline for biking, running, walking, swimming and surfing. “Now that everyone is educated on (health guidelines), now it’s time to open up our lives.”#apolloLink{color:#000;background-color:#F4BE11;text-shadow: none;padding: 8px 15px 10px;font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-weight: 600;border-radius:10px;}Commissioners appear to want to “slow walk” opening Sarasota County and plan to have conversations about what that might look like in the coming weeks.Chuck Henry, a health officer with the Florida Department of Health, urged “great caution” as the county begins to discuss loosening up certain restrictions.Whether Florida has seen the worst of the coronavirus crisis is unclear. ©2020 FOX Television Stations While commissioners will revisit the issue in the coming weeks, some feared that it would cause vehicles to pile up in surrounding neighborhoods.County Administrator Jonathan Lewis left it up to municipalities to end or continue their beach closures. “Local city decisions … Sarasota County beach parking lots will remain closed for now. This morning at 6am, Sarasota County officially reopened their public beaches to steady crowds all day long. Laying out, bringing a cooler or chair, however, is still off-limits. It remains closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Venice officials plan to allow some access, with a policy that mirrors the county’s.But citing limited local testing and fearing that lessening restrictions too early could “backfire,” City Manager Tom Barwin said that opening Lido would be “premature.”“We surely do not want to go through this again,” Barwin said. With over 35 miles of beaches, Sarasota County’s coastline acts as a top destination for residents and visitors year-round. Swimming, running and walking is allowed. We recommend viewing common FAQ's regarding COVID-19. I think we’ve done a great job in Sarasota County,” said Sarasota Commissioner Christian Ziegler after Sarasota has seen fewer cases of coronavirus than neighboring counties to the north, but cases in Sarasota tend to have more serious outcomes than in other parts of the state. Elected leaders will reconsider reopening those at a later date. "I think everybody has a lot of stress on them right now, they need some opportunities to get rid of some anxiety and some depression," said Sheriff Knight.Commissioners say they don’t want anyone to let their guards down about the virus but the intent is to let people use the beaches for exercise just like any of the county’s other parks. Laying out, bringing a cooler or chair, however, is still off-limits. The more we can rapidly identify cases and reach out and contact and then quarantine.”Area hospitals have stopped elective surgeries and emptied out most of their beds. County beaches in Sarasota are available for physical activity and some types of recreation: swimming, walking, running, surfing and fishing are now allowed. Taking a scattered approach to it opens too many possible places of confusion and for the virus to spread again.”Jacksonville area were the first to reopen its beaches on Friday — bringing hordes of eager beachgoers back, mostly walking and jogging.Beaches in Flagler County on Florida’s east coast reopened for limited recreation Wednesday. The City of Sarasota will not open Lido Beach at this time. This is a very dangerous situation but we also have to be smart how we react to it.
According to a notice on its website, Port Canaveral officials "have … Of the county’s 321 confirmed cases, 32 have resulted in death, a rate of 10 percent. The next meeting is … “From Charlotte to Venice to Sarasota County, the city and Manatee County.