Marina turns away long line of boaters; Weekend may bring large numbers to open spaces

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – One by one, officers turned away trucks with boats in tow outside Black Point Marina in Southwest Miami-Dade.

The popular launch spot was forced to close just a few hours after opening Friday because it quickly reached capacity.

A line of cars stretched for nearly a mile as boaters from across South Florida start to take advantage of recent park and waterway reopenings. With the weekend arriving those public spaces are expected to get busier.

“I thought it was going to be a little easier today,” boater Julio Rivera said. “I guess not.”

He came all the way out from Weston and was turned after driving for more than an hour.

“It’s going to be the same everywhere we go,” Rivera said.

On Wednesday, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties simultaneously launched their gradual reopening process — allowing certain parks, marinas and golf courses to open, as long as residents follow social distancing guidelines and wear face coverings.

Officials will be watching to see how busy these facilities become as the weekend arrives and more people are expected to be out.

In the first two days since those reopenings began Wednesday, Miami Beach police say that more than 650 verbal warnings were given to people who were caught without wearing masks — while another 23 people were warned for not following social distancing rules.

As for Black Point Marina, it will reopen at 6 a.m. Saturday.

Miami-Dade County has a free notification service that will alert you when a marina is full. To sign up, visit here.


About the Author
Trent Kelly headshot

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.

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