Miami-Dade Not Ready To Announce Phase 2 Reopening Changes

MIAMI, FL — Despite receiving approval from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to move into phase 2 of its reopening starting Monday, Miami-Dade County residents will not immediately see any additional changes beyond those that were announced prior to the governor's order.

"Miami-Dade is not in phase 2," a county spokesperson told Patch late Monday afternoon. "The announcement by the governor Friday allows the county to go into phase 2, but none of those changes have been made yet."

Miami-Dade residents will be able to stay out an hour longer starting Monday night as the countywide curfew was expanded from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. under changes previously announced by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez last week.

The city of Miami Beach also pushed back its curfew to 11 p.m. starting Monday to align with the countywide curfew.

In moving to phase 2 last week, Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said the designation allowed for the reopening of bowling alleys, escape rooms, movie theaters, play houses, skating centers, trampoline centers and other indoor entertainment venues.

Kerner said restaurants and food establishments could also operate at a greater capacity amid relaxed rules while retail establishments can operate at full capacity as can museums and libraries as well as personal services, including massage parlors, body piercing, tattooing, licensed acupuncture, gyms and fitness centers.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters Monday that the governor's order would give Miami-Dade schools an option to reopen classrooms for parents that want to send their children to traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

"The ability for schools to open I think is a big deal," he said. "For parents, there probably isn't a bigger issue right now."

Mayor Dale Holness of nearby Broward County, which was also cleared to move to phase 2, said additional openings are planned in his county in the coming weeks.

"Broward County retains the ability to close certain activities, however, there will be no change to how businesses are currently operating," he said.

While Florida's secretary of the Department of Business & Professional Regulation announced last week that bars in most parts of the state could reopen at 50 percent capacity starting Monday, both Gimenez and Holness said they planned to keep bars and nightclubs shuttered for the time being.

Other announced openings in Miami-Dade County include Zoo Miami, which was set to reopen Tuesday and outdoor spaces like Jungle Island though most indoor spaces in those venues will remain closed and visitors must wear masks while observing social distancing guidelines. A date for Jungle Island's reopening was not immediately available.

Miami-Dade County parks can also remain open until 10 p.m. with limited competitive play though organized inter-team sports and league games will still be prohibited.

Rental bikes, mopeds and scooter rentals are now available in Miami-Dade county with docking stations, however operators musts provide sanitizing wipes for users to clean the rentals before and after each use. Tour boats and charters were cleared to begin operating at 50 percent capacity starting Monday in most parts of Miami-Dade county.

Miami Beach spokesperson Mellissa Berthier said the resort city did not immediately plan to allow tour boats and non-fishing charters to resume operations in Miami Beach.