On April 17, Jacksonville beaches announced they would reopen after this statement, other North Florida counties and cities followed. Despite other beach’s circumstances, Palm Beach County beaches remain closed, as the county has been working hand and hand with the Department of Health and other safety officials to safely take action. 

Each beach has their own specific restrictions due to social distancing and ensuring safety to the public. For example, many boardwalks and beach restrooms remain closed and off limits to the people. Private beaches in Jacksonville restrict their residents from using their beach equipment, such as chairs and towels. 

Sixty nine percent of Dreyfoos students voted that if beaches in Palm Beach County were to reopen they would still not go to the beach. 

Jacksonville and Sarasota County issued an executive ordered by Gov. Ron DeSantis that all citizens can bike, run, walk, swim, and surf between 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors should still obey the social distancing rule, remaining at least 6 feet apart from others. 

Social media trends like #FloridaMorons on Instagram and Twitter have criticized this new development 

After reopening, Jacksonville beaches were crowded within thirty minutes, even as Florida recorded its highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, according to Daily Mail.  

With confirmed cases nearing about a million in the U.S. alone, Florida has over thirty eight thousand cases of COVID-19. Social distancing is the most important way to get back to our normal lives and safely get back to the places we love most. Whether it’s in the sand, or isolated at home, everyone must take in the precautions and seriousness of this outbreak.