Miami Dade County Major Carlos Gimenez announce all parks, marinas & gold courses will reopen Wednesday, April 29th, 2020. On March 20th, 2020 amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic Miami Dade County issued an order to close all county ramps. Subsequently Everglades National Park Followed the order. The county will hire more than 400 people who were put out of work by the coronavirus outbreak to help enforce social distancing measures.
Some of the restrictions in place for marinas are:
- Boats will be required to stay 50-feet apart.
- Rafting up or tying up together is not permitted.
- Boats 25′ or less only 4 adults
- Boats 25′-36′ 6 adults max
- Boats 37′ above 8 adults 2 children
- No more than 10 people are allowed on a boat at once
Boat Ramp Protocol:
- Ramps may be open between 6am to 8pm daily
- Facial coverings shall be worn while on shore and until such time as the vessel is fully loaded and has departed the marina.
- One boat per launch ramp shall be permitted at a time; vessels shall be prepared in advance to launch, such as plug secured, dock lines tied, and safety equipment and provisions already onboard; all passengers shall board the vessel once it’s launched.
- Upon returning to the dock, all passengers shall remain on the vessel until the boat is ready to be loaded onto the trailer; once loaded, all passengers shall return to their vehicles and exit the launch facility immediately.
For more details on the Miami Dade County Ordinance reference their site.
In addition to the measures provided by Miami Dade County with regards to boating, continue practicing social distancing and be diligent about hygiene. Avoid touching common areas & using public bathrooms. When necessary, wash hands & avoid touching face. Use face masks whenever possible.
Keep your crew to those you know and have been abiding by the social distancing measures.
Still no information has been issued by National Park Service with respect to Flamingo Everglades. Stay tuned for more information.