In just a matter of days, a number of lifestyle changes have been mandated in South Florida and throughout the state as officials work to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Business closures, curfews, limits on gatherings and other social distancing measures are being implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered bars and nightclubs in Florida to close for 30 days and directed restaurants to operate at 50% of their maximum capacity to allow for social distancing.
CORONAVIRUS LATEST
State school officials said public schools would remain closed until April 15 and announced the suspension of mass campus gatherings, including sports events. The federal government has recommended that people do not participate in gatherings of more than 10 people.
DeSantis had mostly refrained from issuing mandates and left localities to their own judgment on how to limit public activities.
A number of South Florida localities have initiated their own measures in response:
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Public beaches and parks will close, plus non-essential retail, private educational facilities, casinos and other recreational and entertainment activities will be restricted or closed starting the evening of March 19, the mayor said.
A state of emergency was declared in Miami-Dade County on March 12. Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez has ordered all food service establishments, bars and clubs in Miami-Dade County to close their doors to on-premises service. Restaurant kitchens may remain open for takeout and delivery. In addition, libraries, movie theaters, gymnasiums, fitness studios, bowling alleys, concert houses, playhouses and arcades must also close. Community centers that serve seniors are also closed until further notice.
Gimenez has also prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people in any parks, beaches or recreation facilities owned or operated by the county. He also ordered that no one use any common use mopeds, motorized scooters, bicycle or other micromobility devices.
CITY OF MIAMI
The City of Miami has issued an order mandating all entertainment establishments and non-essential businesses closed to patrons until further notice. The following types of entertainment businesses within the City of Miami will be closed until further notice: All alcohol service establishments that do not serve food, including bars, nightclubs and lounges, though bars that serve food may continue to do so for takeout only; all dine-in restaurants, though restaurants may sell food for takeout/delivery/drive-thru on a 24-hour basis and proprietors must establish social distancing measures for patrons waiting in line; all entertainment venues including movie theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys and arcades; all gyms and fitness centers.
The following institutions and businesses are not affected by the entertainment establishment closure order: grocery stores, food banks, pharmacies; and commissaries, cafeterias and restaurants located entirely within hospitals, nursing homes or similar facilities.
Retailers, service businesses and private offices including retailers, barber shops, hair and nail salons and car dealerships may operate, however, to increase social distancing, they may only operate at 50% or less of their normal occupancy load until further notice.
MIAMI BEACH
Effective March 18, the City of Miami ordered the closure of all movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades and live performance venues until further notice, as well as ll gymnasiums and fitness centers, except for gymnasiums or fitness centers which are located within hotels or residential multi-family buildings.
All restaurants, bars, nightclubs, dance halls, halls for hire (including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, banquet halls, ballrooms, or similar establishments operating within hotels), private clubs and similar businesses shall be required to close for on-premises service of customers until further notice. However, such establishments may operate their kitchens for the purpose of providing delivery, drive-through, pick-up or take-out services only, from 5 a.m. until midnight each day.
All other non-essential businesses citywide must close at 10 p.m. daily and may reopen at 5 a.m. the following day. Businesses excluded from this mandate include: pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, private offices, banks, hotels, hospitals, medical service providers, medical supply stores, hardware stores, gasoline service stations and automotive supply/repair centers.
Any gathering of 10 or more people on any portion of the beach citywide is prohibited and will be dispersed. A 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. curfew shall be in effect in the city’s entertainment district each day. Please note this does not include business employees going to or from work.
City owned parking garages and surface lots citywide will only be open to residents with proof of residency and access card holders.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH
A curfew is in effect in North Miami Beach from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice. All city events for March, April May and June hav been canceled. All community centers and pools have been closed, outdoor parks remain open.
NORTH MIAMI
In an abundance of caution, the city of North Miami is canceling all special events and City supported events until further notice. All Parks and Recreation, North Miami Public Library and Museum of Contemporary Art programs, activities, and events are canceled until further notice. All City sponsored senior citizen and adult programming is canceled until further notice.
MIAMI GARDENS
All City Events for the months of March and April are canceled. All Adult and Youth Programs are suspended until April 30th. All senior programs are canceled until further notice.
AVENTURA
All City parks (Arthur Snyder Park, Founders Park, Waterways Park, Waterways Dog Park, Peace Park, and Veterans Park) are closed. The Aventura Community Recreation Center is closed. All City programs including the upcoming Spring Camp are canceled. The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center will suspend all performances through April 12.
CUTLER BAY
All town parks will open at sunrise and close at sunset. The pool facility and the recreation building at Cutler Ridge Park are closed, and the after school program at Cutler Ridge Park has been suspended. The community development office and front desk will observe limited lobby hours beginning Wednesday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
CORAL GABLES
All special events requiring a special events permit will be suspended until further notice. All City events including The Farmers Market and sports tournaments will be suspended until further notice. The War Memorial Youth Center, Adult Activity Center, Merrick House, Passport Acceptance Facility, and Venetian Pool will be closed until further notice. All City advisory board meetings are suspended until further notice. All City quasi-judicial board meetings are suspended for the month of March. City Trolley service and Freebee service will continue until further notice. All other city services and facilities will remain open until further notice.
DORAL
All parks remain open under normal operating hours. All community and nature centers are closed, including: Doral Legacy Park Community Center, Morgan Levy Park Community Center, Doral Glades Park Community & Nature Center. All programs, sports practices & games will be postponed until further notice. All Park Rentals (indoor & outdoor) will be postponed until further notice.
MIAMI LAKES
All events and committee meetings will be canceled until April 5, 2020.
HIALEAH
Restaurants in the City of Hialeah are ordered to close at 11 p.m. Kitchens may remain open for takeout and delivery orders. All City of Hialeah Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed until further notice. Programming in the parks have also been postponed until further notice.
HOMESTEAD
All City Facilities, except the Police Department, are closed to the public as of 5:00 pm Tuesday, March 17, 2020. This includes City Hall, Development Services, Parks & Recreation, and the Solid Waste Drop Site. City Business such as permit applications and bill payments can be conducted online or over the phone.
SWEETWATER
The city buildings remain open for city employees only until further notice. All city related events are canceled. All private and public events in Ronselli Park are canceled until further notice. The Claude and Mildred Senior Center will be closed starting Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice. Senior Meal Program will continue.
SURFSIDE
The Town of Surfside has closed all municipal facilities until further notice. These facilities include Town Hall, Community Center, Tennis Center, 96th Street Park, Tot Lot, and Dog Park. All Town meetings, committees, recreation activities, spring adventure camp, community events, and after school programs have been either canceled or postponed until further notice. Operations for the Surf-Bay-Bal community shuttle bus are currently suspended until further notice.
SOUTH MIAMI
All organized and contracted recreation activities, including sports programs, afterschool programs and camps are suspended until further notice. Upcoming special events and facility rentals are canceled until the declaration of emergency is terminated by the City Manager. All senior service programs located at South Miami Senior Center (6701 SW 62 Ave.) are suspended effective Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice. At this time, City parks and the fitness center at the Gibson-Bethel Community will remain open to the public during regular business hours.
BROWARD COUNTY
Broward County libraries will close following regular service hours on March 19 and will remain closed until further notice.
Broward County Parks are open for passive use only, and all organized athletic leagues, games, races, practices, and tournaments are canceled. All recreation programs are canceled. All permitted events, such as spring break camps and camp trips (both public and private) are canceled. Halls and shelter rentals are closed. Water parks are closed, including Castaway Island, Paradise Cove, Splash Adventure, and Tropical Splash.
FORT LAUDERDALE
All public gatherings of any type, whether organized or otherwise, of greater than 10 persons are prohibited. Exemptions include grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, hardware stores, auto supply stores, hospitals, healthcare and medical facilities, pharmacies, drug stores, medical supply companies, as well as land or facilities owned and managed by Broward County, the Broward County School Board, the North Broward Hospital District, the State of Florida, and the Federal Government.
All bars, nightclubs, taverns, pubs, cocktail lounges, breweries, dance halls, movie theaters, halls for hire, auditoriums, bowling alleys, video arcades, and other like entertainment facilities and businesses, including but not limited to those contained within a hotel or other enclosed facility or structure, shall close.
All gyms, fitness centers, fitness studios, dance studios, and gymnasiums shall close. This regulation shall not apply to gymnasiums, fitness centers, and fitness studios which: (a) are amenities of hotels or office buildings and which have a capacity of 10 persons or less; and (b) are an amenity of residential buildings.
All restaurants, cafeterias, and other food service establishments are mandated to cease all on-premises service. However, such establishments may continue to operate their kitchens for drive-thru, delivery, take-out, and exterior pick-up food services.
All City parks, including recreational facilities, are closed. All public beaches in the City of Fort Lauderdale, from the Atlantic Ocean to the easternmost sidewalk of A 1A or to any right-of-way or property line abutting the beach, and from Oakland Park Boulevard south to Harbor Drive, as more specifically defined in Section 8-52, Code of Ordinances, City of Fort Lauderdale remain closed.
All meetings of the City Commission, City boards, including all advisory and statutory boards, City committees and City working groups are postponed. All Special Magistrate, Code Enforcement, Board of Adjustment, Nuisance Abatement Board hearings, and Community Court are postponed.
COOPER CITY
Cooper City operated parks will operate on limited hours, dawn until dusk through the end of March. All Recreation programming is suspended until further notice. All Senior/Adult program activities, with the exception of the Senior Transportation Program, have been postponed until further notice.
CORAL SPRINGS
Coral Springs is suspending all City events and programming that consist of 50 people, or have the potential to have more than 50 people, for the next eight weeks. City Hall in the Mall will be closed starting Wednesday, March 18. All passport and fingerprinting services are suspended. All committee meetings have been cancelled. All temporary use permits for special events have been suspended.
All parks, park facilities and playgrounds are closed until further notice. All city recreational programs, tournaments and events have been suspended.
DANIA BEACH
Dania Beach parks are closed, and the beach is closed until further notice. All bars, cafes and restaurants are required to close by 10 p.m. All major city events have been canceled including Spring Hunt. Dania After Dark, Art in the Hall and The Arts & Seafood Celebration have been postponed.
HALLANDALE BEACH
The beach is closed, and all city facilities are closed to the public until further notice. All bars, restaurant dining areas and gyms are closed by emergency order until further notice. All Park Facilities, including Parks, Centers, Pool, Cemetery, and the Beaches, will remain closed until further notice. All major events hosted by the City for the month of March and April are postponed until further notice. This includes all advisory board meetings.
HOLLYWOOD
All bars, pubs, nightclubs, cocktail lounges, breweries, and taverns in the City of Hollywood closed at 5:00 p.m. on March 17 and must remain closed. All restaurants, cafeterias, and other food service establishments must cease all on premise services. However, such establishments may continue to operate their kitchens for drive-thru, delivery, and curbside pick-up of food orders.
All gyms, fitness centers, fitness studios, dance studios, and gymnasiums are closed. This does not apply to gyms or fitness centers that are an amenity of a hotel or office building and which have a capacity of 10 persons or less, or are an amenity of a residential building. All dance halls, movie theaters, banquet halls, auditoriums, bowling alleys, video arcades and other like entertainment facilities and businesses, including but not limited to those contained within a hotel or other enclosed facility or structure, are closed.
The Hollywood Beach and Broadwalk are closed to recreational activity. Access to the barrier island will be restricted to residents, business owners, business employees, hotel guests and patrons coming to pick up carry-out food orders from barrier island restaurants. All City community centers, parks and recreational facilities are closed. Public boat ramps at Holland Park will remain open, but the rest of the park will be closed down.
MIRAMAR
Parks will remain open but pools are now closed. Facilities hours reduced from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Fitness centers remain closed.
PLANTATION
All parks are open but community centers are closed. The Central Park Aquatics Center is closed.
PEMBROKE PINES
All organized activities and programs at city facilities including athletics, and art, music and drama classes have been suspended until March 31, 2020. All activities and events after March 31, 2020 will be assessed on a weekly basis.
SUNRISE
All parks remain open, however, playgrounds, splash pads, restrooms, and outdoor basketball courts are closed. The Sunrise Senior Center is also closed, along with the Sunrise Civic Center Gymnasium, Sunrise Civic Center Athletic Club, and Village Civic Center Gymnasium as well as the Sunrise Civic Center Theatre and Art Gallery.
POMPANO BEACH
Effective Wednesday, March 18th, at 6:00 a.m. Beaches will be closed. All bars and nightclubs are mandated to close at 5:00 p.m. daily. Restaurants are to practice distance separation by not allowing groups larger than 10 people to gather. Take-out and delivery are strongly encouraged.
WESTON
All City of Weston administrative offices including City Hall have closed to the public until further notice. Parks remain open but playgrounds and shelters within Weston city parks will be closed.
WILTON MANORS
All public gatherings of any type, whether organized or otherwise, of greater than 10 persons are prohibited. Grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, hardware stores, auto-supply stores, hospitals, healthcare and medical facilities, pharmacies, drug stores, medical supply companies, land or facilities owned and managed by Broward County, the Broward County School Board, the North Broward Hospital District, the State of Florida, and the Federal Government, are exempt from this paragraph.
All bars, nightclubs, taverns, pubs, cocktail lounges, breweries, dance halls, movie theaters, halls for hire, auditoriums, bowling alleys, video arcades, and other like entertainment facilities and businesses, including but not limited to those contained within a hotel or other enclosed facility or structure, shall close.
All gyms, fitness centers, fitness studios, dance studios, and gymnasiums shall close. This paragraph shall not apply to gymnasiums, fitness centers, and fitness studios which: (a) are amenities of hotels or office buildings and which have a capacity of 10 persons or less; or (b)are an amenity of residential buildings.
All restaurants, cafeterias, and other food service establishments are mandated to cease all on-premises service. However, such establishments may continue to operate their kitchens for permitted drive-thru, delivery, take-out, and exterior pick-up food services.
All city events, classes, and programs are cancelled until further notice. All city managed community centers, such as the Hagen Park Community Center, and the Island City Park Preserve Community Center, are closed.
LAUDERHILL
The City of Lauderhill suspended all known public gatherings to include special events, sports leagues/practices, shows, classes, programming, concerts, City and Non-City Public meetings as well as all Board Meetings through the end of April. To minimize the spread of COVID-19, City Hall is operating out of a Temporary Remote Business Center. City Parks will remain open during normal operating hours. However, Park Buildings are closed until further notice.
For updates and additional information, check with your local municipality.
