FLORIDA CITY, Fla. – Monroe County commissioners said they want to deter large crowds of tourists during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s too late for them to push for the cancelation of the July 29-30 lobster mini-season, so they decided to issue other restrictions on Tuesday.
Key Largo and Islamorada will be closing public boat ramps from July 24 to Aug. 19. Private boat ramps are allowed to remain open. Public parks in Islamorada, Rowell’s Park, and Bay Drive will also be closed.
Commissioners are also working to limit the capacity of vacation rentals to two people per room, and they increased the penalty for not wearing a face mask to $250. Aside from adults, Monroe County also requires children older than 6 years old to wear face masks.
The regular season starts Aug. 6. For more information about the new restrictions, visit the county’s site.