Beaches are opening but should you go? Before you travel, read this!

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I have been fascinated with the debate about whether or not to open the beaches in Northwest Florida. Maybe obsessed is a better world. Well, maybe I won’t take it that far but I did watch a 4+ hour meeting held by the Walton County Commission (this covers the 30A communities) yesterday where they decided to open them back up starting May 1st.

You see, what interests me is that it isn’t about the beaches at all. The issue at hand is that when you “open the beaches” people want to come down. I get it. I do too. I love the beach. School is out and many people are working remotely. Time is abundant but we have no place to go. We’ve caught cabin fever and the weather here in the South has been amazing! But, COVID-19 is serious and we have all put in so much hard work to flatten the curve that I would hate for it to be wasted effort.

So, the beaches are opening but should you go?

I want to first point out that Florida currently still has a ban on short term rentals but other states do not and once that is lifted people are going to rush down to the coast. UPDATE: Most counties in the Florida panhandle are now allowing short term rentals again as of 5/19.

Please understand, I am not encouraging travel right now at all and we are staying put and doing more outdoor activities within a 2-hour drive, but I wanted to take some time to talk to all of you who are planning to go somewhere anyway because I know some people are going to do it. And while I am specifically talking about the small coastal communities near me such as 30A, Gulf County, St, George Island, St. Simons Island, etc the same applies to so many other places. So, those of you who want to “escape” to the mountain towns or a desert oasis please keep all of this in mind when you make plans and before you go.

The truth is that while it seems safe and sensible to head somewhere quiet like the beach or the mountains, EVERYONE else has the same idea right now which is likely to result in holiday weekend type crowds in these small communities. And let me get to the main issues at hand. First of all, these towns often have smaller grocers or one large store to service a wide area of full-time residents. In the midst of this pandemic, it’s hard for stores to keep shelves stocked as it is, let alone provide for tens or hundreds of thousands of tourists coming down to buy groceries and household essentials for their visit. And on that note, these communities often have one small hospital with often a dozen or fewer ICU beds that can service the small number of full-time residents but won’t be nearly enough if a localized outbreak were to occur.

On the other hand, I know that most people in favor of getting things open again are the short term rental owners and the hospitality industry. I understand. The tourism and hospitality industry is near and dear to my heart and it makes me so sad to see so many people suffering right now. There probably isn’t a right answer for these small communities or for the people wanting to visit. Only time will tell if decisions made will be favorable or troublesome. And to tell the truth, that is in your hands. It’s in the hands of the out of state homeowners, weekend warriors, families from Alabama, that couple from Nashville and everyone else packing their bags and heading to the beach right now.

So, if you must travel to the beach or a small community right now please keep these 10 tips in mind, and let’s step into this new normal aware and respectful of one another.

Tips and Considerations

1. Bring your own groceries & supplies. The more you bring the less stress you will put on the local supermarkets. I wouldn’t plan to find paper products in stores, heck, I can’t even find them here in Alabama.

2. Do not travel if anyone in your party is sick. And reconsider bringing anyone who falls into a high-risk category.

3. Pack a thermometer and face masks for your party. CDC guidelines and state mandates change often. You will want these on hand and please wear a mask when visiting establishments. Please be respectful and wear them.

4. Parents, keep your party together. Please don’t let your teens bike off with friends or attend gatherings. Keep tabs on your little one who loves to go make friends with everyone they meet along the sand. When they started social distancing guidelines before closing the beaches in March, I was mortified watching a Facebook video showing a large group of teens in Rosemary Beach mocking and disrespecting an adult telling them to disperse. Not a parent was in sight.

5. Support these local businesses. If and when they are open, show them love. Buy the t-shirts. Purchase a few new books. Grab that nice bottle of wine. Order the food.

6. Be patient. Even in the offseason, the restaurants down at the beach are bustling. With some dining rooms closed or maybe opening at a fraction of past capacities, carry-out times may be longer so show grace to these small businesses. They appreciate your business and I can guarantee you that they are doing their best to navigate this new normal. Tip generously!

7. Social distancing rules still apply. At the time I write this, groups need to be 10 and under and spaced 6 feet apart. It would be in poor taste to take the whole family to Walmart or to go pick up take out when one person could get the job done. The same applies down at the beach and on the trip down.

8. Set the tone in advance that things won’t be the same. You may need to spend more quiet time in your rental. Or skip the pool if it’s overcrowded. Manage expectations in advance to avoid surprises later.

9. Consider renting private homes with private pools or avoid the big complexes. Most of the viral spread in high rise style accommodations is going to come from common areas, elevators, etc. While a private home may come at a higher price, the peace of mind that comes along with it is probably worth it. There are also a lot of great smaller condo complexes along 30a.

10. Be flexible and open-minded. I feel that if you are booking a rental now for a stay in May or June, you need to be prepared for things to change. Pools may close, beach access may be restricted, your favorite restaurants may not be open, etc and I am not sure if that is grounds for trying to cancel and get refunds at this point. Booking a trip now comes with a risk and you need to be mentally prepared in the event that you won’t be able to do all that you. Book yourself home or condo that you wouldn’t mind spending most of your time in if need be. Check the local ordinances prior to leaving and plan accordingly.

Will history repeat itself?

I hope these little reminders help you prepare both mentally and physically for your next trip. And I wanted to share another little story. I am currently reading a book on the history of Florida tourism called Sunshine Paradise and I just finished the chapter ironically entitled Blitzkrieg of Joy and it really made me think. It chronicles Florida through the WWII years and in particular the Winter of 1943-1944. That year, most of the service members who were housed in hotels along the coast were moved into newly completed permanent military installations resulting in a surge of available inventory of accommodations. And while there were wartime restrictions in place, people then had cabin fever as well. Florida experienced a 50% rise in visitors and everything was suddenly back open and buzzing. Wealthy and upper-middle-class families came down in droves. At about that time the US faced a huge energy crisis and gasoline was sparse if not impossible to find. Railways were needed for wartime efforts and tens of thousands of people were making a mad dash to get home spending small fortunes for a spot on a cramped and dingy railcar heading north. Hotels struggled to get secure deliveries of food for the ones who remained. Many waited for months to get home and then governor of Florida Holland was quoted saying “We greatly appreciate our tourists when they are right. . . . Unfortunately, there are many who come to Florida in disregard of rationing regulations.”

Food for thought, right? Anyway, it’s a good book if you are interested in Florida or Tourism and that chapter seemed like an ironic thing to read this week. I am not sure I fully understand what decisions are best right now but I felt that it was an interesting story to share.

Stay healthy my friends!