Haulover Marine Center and Haulover Boat Ramp Closed.

Update: 3/24/2020 More communities following suit…

After announcing last week that all of the public beaches were closing, Manatee County officials announced Tuesday morning during an emergency meeting that public boat ramps would also be closing.

Beaches in Manatee County closed to the public at 6am last Friday, March 20. Public boat ramps will close beginning at 6am Thursday. Beer Can Island will also close to the public.

Port St Lucie Closed all boat Ramps effective today.

Palm Beach County closed all boat ramps and Marinas effective 3/22/2020

Charlotte County (Punta Gorda) has closed all boat ramps.

Public Safety Director, Jacob Saur, says all public boat ramps in Manatee County will be closed beginning on Thursday. @mysuncoast pic.twitter.com/oYjajerUhb — Daniela Hurtado (@DaniCHurtado_) March 24, 2020

Claiming there were many images and videos of people partying on the water and not practicing social distancing, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered the shutdown of all boat ramps and marinas in the county, effective immediately until further notice.

All boat ramps in Miami-Dade County parks will be shut down. This of course means Haulover Marine Center and Haulover Boat Ramp Closed until further notice. Every marina will be closed to pleasure boaters, the only allowed boating is commercial fishermen who provide food for restaurants and markets.

Miami Dade Mayor Gimenez’s statement was released Saturday evening. The order also said Miami-Dade police would be out on the waters ensuring that no large parties take place. Its unclear what the rules are for those who keep their boat at their home, presumably you can be out on the water, but no congregating or police will take action. What action they’d take is unclear.

“I am disappointed to see photos and videos on social media of boats close together and large groups of people congregating,” Gimenez further stated.

“We are in a state of emergency, and I cannot stress enough the need for personal responsibility. Those of you not following these guidelines are putting others at risk, perhaps your own family and friends. And, you could be contributing to a much longer scenario and further shutdowns in our community.”

Vote in our poll, do you think this was necessary or is this government reaching too far?

Anonymous Vote Sign in with Wordpress Was closing the boat ramps and marinas necessary? Yes! We need people to get the point and not congregate in groups of 10 or more.

No. Being outside in the fresh air is a safe place to be, don't let a few bad apples ruin it for everyone. Vote

Miami-Dade County declared a state of emergency on March 12th.

Last week, Mayor Gimenez ordered the closing of all public beaches, parks and recreational facilities in Miami-Dade. He also prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people in any parks, beaches or recreation facilities owned or operated by the county.

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