Mayor Deb Tarrant issued a clarification this morning to the beach closure notice. Hillsboro Beach is NOT restricted, which is a change from yesterdays notice. Thus, VK’s private beach is open for owners and residents to use. However, the VK pool remains closed until further notice.
See the Beach Clarification notice from Mayor Deb Tarrant below.
Beach Clarification by County Officials
With all the craziness going on, I am pleased to bring you some good news this Sunday morning. Following conversations last night and this morning with County officials and attorneys, it has been agreed that use of the beach in Hillsboro Beach will not be restricted under the County’s Emergency Order 20-05. Although Broward County has the ability to “enforce, relax, modify or remove beach closures,” County officials and staff have agreed “recreational amenities” as defined in the County’s Emergency Order 20-05 does not include the beach. For our residents, the beach is our backyard, not a “recreational amenity.” Therefore, effective immediately, the beach is being reopened for use by residents, as long as social distancing is practiced. As you know by now, social distancing applies to anyone who is not a member of the same household.
The Town sends special thanks to Broward County Commissioner Lamar Fisher for helping to clarify this important issue!
Pool Area Restrictions
Unfortunately, pool area restrictions remain in effect. Restrictions also remain in effect on other recreational amenities as identified in Section 2 of Broward County’s recent Emergency Order. These amenities include party rooms, hot tubs, golf courses, tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness centers, and community rooms.
Enforcement
There have been many questions with regard to enforcement of these restrictions. The Police Department would obviously like to see voluntary compliance and support from Homeowners Associations. Should there be blatant disregard for the health of others by ignoring the Emergency Order, any determination by a Police Officer that an individual/entity is not complying with the law may result in the issuance of a Notice of Violation requiring a Court appearance or a Notice of Violation resulting in a case being pursued by the Town seeking fines of up to $250 per day.
Police Officers will respond to calls for violations, however, they will not, as a matter of course, be patrolling recreational amenity areas within condos looking for violators. Remember, the goal for all this is to stop the spread of the virus, not to harass our residents.
Enjoy!
Having come so close to losing access to our beach, hopefully we will all appreciate it now even more than usual. Enjoy the rest of your weekend – hit the beach! Just keep your distance…
Sincerely,
Deb Tarrant
Mayor
Virginia Kaye Inc. 