PORT ORANGE, Fla. – Port Orange is the latest Central Florida city to call off its annual Fourth of July event in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
City officials announced Wednesday that their 4th of July Spectacular event has been postponed in an effort to keep residents safe amid the COVID-19 outbreak, during which officials are asking everyone to practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings.
“The decision was made to postpone the event based on the reopening guidelines released by state and federal authorities, which won’t allow for mass gatherings in the near future,” a news release from city officials said.
Florida is currently in “full phase one” of its three-phased plan to reopen the state’s economy.
Details about when the event will take place were not immediately available but officials said they expect to hold it later this year.
“This was a tough decision to suspend our July 4th fireworks event at City Center," Mayor Don Burnette said. “We plan to reschedule our celebration until later this year, when it is safe to gather in large groups again as a community, and we look forward to getting together with everyone to celebrate at that time.”
Fireworks shows in Orlando at Lake Eola Park, in Altamonte Springs and several other cities have also been canceled due to the virus.
You can safely celebrate the holiday with the City of Orlando and News 6 as the station airs a pre-recorded compilation of the biggest and brightest fireworks from the past several years at Lake Eola.