MIAMI _ No chairs, no coolers, no umbrellas: That's the official mantra of lifeguards and police officers at Fort Lauderdale Beach Saturday morning, the first sunny weekend since Broward county beaches reopened on Tuesday. While there are other rules in place for residents who wish to venture out to the beach after two months of prohibition, few _ if any _ seem to be getting enforced.
Some of the confusion may stem from new rules that go into effect on Monday. When Broward beaches originally reopened, residents were instructed to keep on the move and were not allowed to sit or sunbathe. But June 1, Broward will join Miami-Dade county in permitting those stationary activities and requiring masks when beach goers cannot maintain six feet of social distance, except between members of the same household and during active recreation or exercise.
"Everything changes Monday morning, so there's a lot of confusion as to what's right now and what's Monday morning," spokesperson Stephen Gollan said. "There are stronger currents today, so our lifeguards' number one priority is safety in the water."
The use of umbrellas, canopies, chairs, loungers and coolers will also be permitted starting Monday, according to an emergency order from the county.
While the beach drew a decent number of people outside, it wasn't crowded despite the sunshine, and families seemed to be social distancing along the sand. Most people on the beach were sunbathing on towels, without masks. But they aren't concerned about the risk.
"I mean, I'm safe. I'm 26. I know that you need to take more precautions _ wash your hands, don't touch your face," Tom Vankuilenburg from Miami said. "I went home last weekend to Boston and I was on the beaches at Cape Cod, and it was super normal. The beaches were open, you could use chairs, you could drink."
Plantation resident Amanda Kopas, 17, was at the beach with a swim teammate, who declined to disclose her name. The pair went out for a swim and run on the beach since they've lost practice time to pool closures. Kopas said while there's "always that concern" when it comes to catching the coronavirus in public, she still feels safe for a couple hours at the beach.
"I stay safe, I stay away from the people," Kopas said.
Kopas said she and her friend were at the beach Wednesday and saw people sun bathing. She said she didn't see anyone get asked to leave by police.
Tom, a volunteer with Fort Lauderdale Fire and Rescue who declined to provide his last name, said he hadn't seen the police interfere with anybody on Saturday. While a few had been asked to put their beach chairs away, they were allowed to sunbathe and sit on the beach unbothered.
Volunteers and lifeguards are not enforcing the beach's rules, leaving that job solely up to local police. While there were police cars with lights on near the beach, people walking towards the beach with chairs and other prohibited items did not appear to be stopped.
Tom added that while people were certainly social distancing, he would say one person out of every 50 wore a mask.
And sunbathing and sitting aren't the only activities getting overlooked. Organized sports are prohibited on the beach and will continue to be prohibited on Monday, but that didn't stop a group of men from playing basketball, all without masks.
Vankuilenburg, who was at the beach with a friend from Boston, said he was just happy to get out of the house.
"I was ready to get out of the house _ stuck in there for so long that I think it was just time to get some sunlight and sand," Vankuilenburg said.
Even though Miami-Dade opens its beaches on Monday, Vankuilenburg said he'll probably stick to Broward as he prefers Fort Lauderdale Beach.
"It's less trashy," Vankuilenburg said. "I think I'd be more worried about everyone finding out that Miami is open and going to Miami, tourist-wise. Where here, I feel like, Fort Lauderdale is definitely a tourist spot but Miami is definitely like, everyone get on a plane and go to Miami."
