Franklin County beaches remain open but there won't be anywhere to park

Franklin County beaches remain open but there won't be anywhere to park.

The Franklin County Commission held an emergency meeting Saturday morning to discuss closing local beaches to help stem the spread of COVID-19.

Most beaches west of us, including Gulf and Bay Counties, closed their beaches this week and the fear is that many of those beachgoers will simply come here.

A number of island business owners and some residents spoke against closing the beaches.

They pointed out that local beaches are big enough to allow people to spread out without coming in close contact with other beachgoers.

One speaker said that one of the benefits of not having big condominiums is that it provides us with emptier beaches.

Others said that closing the beaches is too drastic and many of our tourist related businesses will not survive a weeks-long beach closure.

It was also said that closing the beaches would simply move people to the bike paths and bayside creating congestion there.

Most agreed that the problem location is the public beach at the center of the St. George island where most day-trippers go and that if that area were closed it would alleviate much of the crowding.

County attorney Michael Shuler pointed out that while many people park in the center of the island, the public beach actually extends over 4 miles from 12th street east to 12th street west.

In the end the commission felt the best compromise between public health and protecting local businesses would be to close the public parking areas, making it much more difficult for large groups of people to access the beaches while still letting renters and the public access the beaches if they can find a legal place to park.

The board approved an emergency ordinance closing the St. George Island public beach parking area and beach access points from 12th street east to 12th street west on St. George Island.

It also includes the Carrabelle beach parking area and any parking areas at Alligator Point.

It also bans parking along the right of way within one-half mile on either side of any public beach access point.

The emergency rule will be in effect till further notice.

Violation of the emergency ordinance is punishable as a second-degree criminal misdemeanor.

The vote for the emergency ordinance was 4 to 1 with commission chairmen Noah Lockley opposing it.

He said he was not going to put a dollar over people's lives.

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