COCOA BEACH, Fla. – With a weekend of weather hazards expected at Brevard beaches, one of the county’s most popular tourist destinations remained open Friday, partially.
Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier general manager Andrew Spinner told News 6 reporter James Sparvero that the tiki bar at the end of the pier’s boardwalk was closed out of an abundance of caution.
“We don’t have the end of the pier open, obviously, because of the high winds and it makes for an unsafe condition for our team and our guests, but the rest of the property is open today,” Spinner said.
The GM said decisions on opening and closing on Saturday and Sunday will be made later.
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Spinner also addressed the potential of losing business as the holiday season traditionally attracts large crowds to the beaches.
“This week, there’s a little bit of a lull leading into the holidays so let’s hope that we get this out of our system and we have clear skies and beautiful beach days for the rest of the month,” he said. “It’ll be OK.”
On a similar day of rough surf and rip current threats in November, Brevard County Ocean Rescue shared safety tips.
“As soon as you come to the beach, talk to the lifeguards about the water conditions, if it’s safe to go in,” Captain Nathaniel Stadnick said. “Take a look at the flag conditions as we have on the back of this tower.”
Red flags are flying this weekend.
Michael Allenbeck, 20, from Nebraska, went fishing Friday instead of swimming.
“The waves are crazy and the wind is just nuts,” he said. “Way more wild than Nebraska, that’s for sure.”
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