The floodgates were opened for Manatee County boaters, but waters remained calm.
The county closed public boat ramps March 26 as it ramped up restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and halt new cases of COVID-19.
The virus is known to spread by close contact and county concerns rose when large numbers of boaters congregated at Passage Key and Beer Can Island.
However, several citizens spoke in opposition to the restriction at county commission meetings that followed.
And, in response, county commissioners met April 10 and voted to reopen the ramps after the Easter weekend. Commissioner Vanessa Baugh called the decision an “opportunity” for boaters to respect safety guidelines.
The week ending April 19, it seemed the boating community had made the most of its opportunity.
Manatee County information outreach manager Nicholas Azzara told The Islander April 17 “there have been no issues” since reopening the ramps April 13.
He said no boaters were found congregating at Passage Key or Beer Can Island, but he also noted the inclement weather.
“It’s been mostly poor boating weather since ramps opened,” Azzara said. “Once we have clear weather that will be the test.”
Azzara said typically weekday traffic at the ramps is low, so a weekend would provide a better test of social distancing at the ramps and on boat outings.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office marine unit did not answer an April 18 call from The Islander.
“I’m proud of our boating community,” Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said during an April 17 videoconference. “I haven’t gotten one complaint. … I hear there’s hardly anybody out there.”
Bradenton Beach Police Lt. John Cosby told The Islander April 16 that a lifeguard and a police officer were stationed at each island ramp to ensure only people with loaded boat trailers were using the ramps, not people looking for beach parking. The island beaches are closed to the general public.
If ramp parking reaches capacity, law enforcement planned to close the ramp to other boaters to avoid unwanted gatherings, Cosby said.
Local fishing guide Capt. Scott Moore told The Islander April 17 he appreciated commissioners reopening the ramps.
“There have been people, but they’ve been behaving,” Moore, a licensed fishing guide of more than 50 years, said of the boaters he saw in the area. He added that closing the ramps did not stop boaters from congregating in the first place.
However, not everyone was on board with reopening the ramps.
“It’s not really rocket science here,” said Capt. Kathe Fannon of Captain Kathe and First Mate Pup-Pup Charters in Cortez. “Opening the boat ramps is a double-edged sword because it leads to more people going out during all this.”
Fannon said concern about boaters congregating on Passage Key was well-founded, as she saw people gathering on the key only days closure of the ramps.