HOLMES BEACH – Everyone may feel a little disconnected while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but Mayor Judy Titsworth is working to make sure that Holmes Beach residents stay connected to their city government.
Titsworth is releasing daily updates on activities at city hall. The March 27 update gives the most up-to-date information on how things are working behind the closed doors of city hall.
While city hall is closed to the public, allowing only essential city employees to enter, the rear entrance at the police station remains open for emergency access to Holmes Beach police officers.
Right now, the only meetings being held are essential meetings, with the city’s parks and beautification committee, planning commission and city commission work sessions all canceled for the first half of April. The April 14 city commission meeting will be held via teleconferencing with login credentials supplied to the public via the city’s website.
The mayor is continuing to update the city’s state of emergency and re-evaluate the extension on a weekly basis.
HBPD officers are continuing their daily monitoring of the beaches. Currently, all public beaches are closed and city leaders are asking that anyone who does choose to go to the beach during the coronavirus pandemic gather in groups of 10 people or less, maintain a distance of 10-15 feet between groups and park legally. To help with the beach closure, Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that public parking has been reduced by 85-90% for beach parking and that police are enforcing the new restrictions.
Titsworth said that code compliance officers are monitoring occupancy in city hotels, motels and vacation rentals. On March 25, Titsworth issued an official request to all vacation rental owners and agents along with hotel and motel management to ask them to cease taking new reservations at this time. She said that the response to this request has been primarily positive.
Currently, code compliance officers are not conducting vacation rental certificate program inspections. The city’s public works department is working diligently to sanitize city hall, city offices and all city vehicles to help keep employees safe.
The Holmes Beach building department is still open but is only accepting new permit requests through the city’s website. Inspections are still being conducted, with all city inspectors wearing personal protective equipment. Inspectors are considering video submittals for inspections on small permit projects. Contractors have been asked to limit the number of workers on job sites to 10 or less. Anyone with questions about the new policies is asked to contact building department staff by email or by telephone at 941-708-5800.
“I continue to urge all Island residents and guests to continue to practice social distancing,” Titsworth said in her March 27 update. “Everyone in our community has a very important job to do. That job is to assume you have COVID-19 and to not spread your germs. Please continue to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and stay at home.”
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