HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - A ban on certain items may be coming to a South Florida beach. The city wants to reimagine the area and make it more appealing for family fun.
Tents may be a thing of the past along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, and that may be just the beginning of the winds of change.
“Please stop banning stuff. Enforce the rules that we already have,” said a woman in a City Commission Meeting.
It’s a possible beach ban that folks in Hollywood aren’t happy about.
“That’ll affect a certain portion of the business,” said Leonard Evler, owner of Sun & Fun Cycles Hollywood.
The Hollywood City Commission got an earful from the community Wednesday after police proposed these changes, which include getting rid of tents and some canopies on the sand, closing the beach from midnight to 5 a.m. and banning low riding bikes on the Broadwalk.
“It is disturbing that the city wants to ban a certain type of bike,” said Evler.
Evler owns Sun & Fun Cycles Hollywood and said putting the brakes on banana peel tricycles will be a major loss for his business, even though police feel that they are dangerous for pedestrians.
“I think it’ll be thousands of dollars over the course of the year, yes. The adults are gonna have to ride those bikes on the public streets rather than on the Broadwalk, and it’s gonna be a little more difficult for them to get to the restaurants,” said Elver.
What you lounge under on the sand may look different. Tents are now a no-go, as well as canopies with no sides.
Police said with more than 370,000 people visiting the beach Broadwalk in January alone, having these are a safety hazard.
“From officers and beach safety sightlines,” said someone representing the police about the tents and canopies, “to parents watching their children, also affects the accessibility of our first responders to get from one point to another in an efficient, effective matter.”
Police add that closing the beach overnight will prevent trespassing, vandalism and any suspicious activity.
There will be two more readings next month, and then the official vote.
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