City of Naples closing beaches; cars from Broward, Dade spotted

Too many crowds over the weekend prompts concerns about coronavirus

A notice on the city of Naples police department's Facebook page tells residents the beaches will close after a week of reopening. (WPLG)

NAPLES, Fla. – Naples in Southwest Florida will be closing its beaches Sunday at 12:01 a.m. after a weekend of crowded beaches was too much for the city amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. Naples’ beaches reopened Monday, May 4.

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A notice from the City of Naples on Saturday announced the closing and said it was in alignment with CDC guidance and Governor DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-112.

Some beachgoers said it was so crowded there was nowhere to sit and if they had wanted to, they would not be able to abide by social distancing because of so many people.

Naples Councilman Gary Price told news station WINK that he visited the beaches during the day to see what was happening after someone texted him about the large crowds. He said when he arrived he was disappointed and concerned.

The City Council called an emergency meeting at 1 p.m. Monday to address the emergency beach closure order.

Price told the television station that he took photos and many of the cars had dealership plates from Broward and Dade counties.

Naples is about a 98 minute drive (109 miles) from Fort Lauderdale and about a 115 minute drive (126 miles) from Miami.


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