Florida leaders mull reopenings as Gimenez addresses COVID-19 concerns in virtual town hall

MIAMI (WSVN) - South Florida leaders are trying to determine when cities will be safe enough to start the process of reopening, as new data suggests COVID-19 may have reached its peak in the state.

Monday afternoon, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez hosted a virtual town hall to answer residents’ questions about reopenings in general, as well as other COVID-19 concerns.

The mayor said he is looking at ways to ease restrictions, beginning with parks, boat ramps and golf courses. However, there is still no timeline for beaches or businesses.

“I have heard from a lot of people who are ready to open up outdoor activities. Others are concerned we could be opening up too soon,” said Gimenez.

In a video message, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the city’s parks will reopen in the near future, with some restrictions.

“Most of our parks will soon be available for mostly passive activities with some limited opportunities for recreation,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed these concerns during a conference call with the Reopening Florida Task Force.

“This is obviously a roadblock for the whole country, but I think if we bounce back in a very thoughtful, safe and efficient way, I think we can minimize, or at least mitigate, some of the damage that’s been done and hopefully have a path back,” he said.

Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said reopening the Sunshine State presents unique challenges.

“Florida is unlike any other state in the country, and we have at least four areas that you need to take a closer look at,” he said. “We’re going to have to have a very surgical reopening to Florida.”

Florida’s Democratic Party hosted a video chat of their own on Monday.

“Governor DeSantis cannot be weak,” said U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla.

The resounding consensus among them is an urgent need for more COVID-19 testing. Without it, they argued, there is no way to ensure this health crisis is under control.

“We cannot get our economy back going again unless we have the testing regime in place and unless we have some therapeutics so that we can save some people’s lives,” said Shalala.

“I understand that we all want to return to our previous pre-corona lives, but easing precautions without public health infrastructure poses a danger to our public health,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla.

But there is a growing number of residents calling for a return to normalcy, especially taking into consideration new data from the University of Washington. It finds Florida reached its death peak on April 7, and the state reached peak demand for hospital resources days ago. The state also never faced a shortage of hospital beds.

“Since February, both regular beds and [intensive care unit] available beds have actually increased in the state of Florida,” said DeSantis.

On Sunday, caravans hit the streets of South Florida over the weekend pushing to end the shutdown.

7News spoke with organizer Rachael Cohen at a shopping plaza in Hollywood.

“We need to reopen the state economically, and we also need to give access to beaches and to other open areas,” she said.

But at least for the time being, that will not be happening in Miami-Dade County. On Sunday, Gimenez tweeted, “Although we’re consulting with medical experts on the future opening of public spaces, there is currently no timeline for opening beaches.”

It’s a message Gimenez reiterated during Monday’s virtual town hall.

“I want to stress that any opening will be done with medical experts guiding us every step of the way. We will not open up any activities if it goes against medical advice, period,” he said.

Local officials said beaches will likely be among the last open spaces to reopen. Miami Beach officials said they will follow the county’s decision, but they do not expect beaches to reopen until early June.

“If we open them up, we open them up for anyone from anywhere who wants to enjoy them,” said Gelber.

Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.

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