VIERA, Fla – In addition to talking again about restricting beach hours, the Brevard County Commission chairman said he also wants to pursue possibly restricting boat ramps.
Commissioner Bryan Lober said whatever new restrictions can be done now, even if unpleasant or inconvenient, should be done.
"I don't want to punish our residents for wanting to do one of the few things they have left to relax and avoid some anxiety, but I don't think we need to be inviting folks over here to use our boat ramps that don't live here," Lober said.
Working together is seeing some division in the county.
Lober was rejected last week by fellow commissioners who voted to not back his stance on closing county beaches five hours a day for the weekend.
Rita Pritchett, one of four commissioners who voted to not enforce the closures which effectively killed the order, called the coronavirus pandemic a horrible situation that no one created.
"We've all got to work together and try and think of what we can do to help bring some kind of hope into the situation," Commissioner Pritchett said.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been clear he wants county beaches and boat ramps open.
The sheriff said crowds at the beach are small and boaters are keeping their distance, too.
The local health department said Brevard County currently has 32 cases on COVID-19 and the worst of those are three people on ventilators.
County commissioners and the sheriff are not calling for a curfew or shelter in place order at this time.
Leaders continue to ask people to practice social distancing wherever the are, including the county’s open beaches.