Florida Starts to Reopen Beaches Amid Coronavirus Pandemic North Florida beaches were among
the first to open after Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis gave the green light on Friday. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced
that Duval County beaches would reopen
with restricted hours on Friday. Lenny Curry,
via Twitter Lenny Curry,
via Twitter Despite being instructed to follow
social distancing guidelines, "It was a mad dash
here for the ocean," according to CNN's Randi Kaye. Photos and videos began to surface of
Jacksonville Beach with large crowds near the
water less than 20 minutes after reopening. As of Saturday morning, Florida had at least
25,269 cases of coronavirus, including 740 deaths,
according to the Florida Department of Health.