Public beach parking to close in St. Johns County after near record number of beach-goers – FirstCoastNews.com WTLV-WJXX

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. Starting Monday morning at 6 a.m., St. Johns County will close all public beach parking lots in an effort to "maximize compliance" with the state's latest executive order. The parking lots will be closed until further notice amid efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The county's beaches will remain open.

St Johns County Administrator Hunter Conrad said their beach attendance nearly reached new records this weekend. After evaluating those numbers and consulting with law enforcement officials, they made their decision to close the parking lots at the beaches.

"It is clear that the county needs to take additional steps to further reduce the size of the crowds on our beaches, Conrad said. Our goal is to allow the beaches to remain as accessible as possible to our residents, while still observing CDC guidelines and protecting the health, safety and welfare of our community.

The decision follows a recommendation by the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department, St. Johns County Emergency Management and local health officials as they work to reduce the number of beach-goers at this time.

People can still access St. Johns County beaches through pedestrian walkways, but county officials ask beach-goers to limit gatherings to no more than 10 people. They also remind people to maintain a minimum distance of six feet between other parties in compliance with CDC guidelines.

Social distancing is one of the main ways to combat the spread of COVID-19, along with proper handwashing.

Drivers trying to access the St Johns County beaches are still not allowed at this time. Vehicles remain prohibited on the beach until further notice.

For more information, please call 904-824-5550.

RELATED: 75 cases of coronavirus recorded across First Coast counties; Expanded testing to begin at TIAA Bank Field

RELATED: LIVE BLOG | 75 cases of COVID-19 reported across the First Coast

Read the original here:
Public beach parking to close in St. Johns County after near record number of beach-goers - FirstCoastNews.com WTLV-WJXX