Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez issues statement concerning further restrictions, announcing shutdown of boat ramps and marinas

Effective immediately, all boat ramps at Miami-Dade County parks will be closed until further notice. All marinas will be closed to all boating activities, with the exception of commercial fishermen who provide food for restaurants and markets. In addition, I am ordering the closure of all boat ramps and marinas countywide. And, the Miami-Dade Police Department will be out on the waters, ramping up enforcement of my "no rafting up" order to keep large group parties from taking place.

I am disappointed to see photos and videos on social media of boats close together and large groups of people congregating. And, to see this "sandbar party" flier circulating all over South Florida is truly disheartening, but mostly worrisome. We are in a state of emergency, and I cannot stress enough the need for personal responsibility. Current guidelines call for gatherings to be limited to groups of 10 or fewer. These sacrifices in our social lives are critical NOW in order to defeat COVID-19. Those of you not following these guidelines are putting others at risk, perhaps your own family and friends. And, you could be contributing to a much longer scenario and further shutdowns in our community.

Please go to miamidade.gov/coronavirus to link to all the resources that detail how to protect yourself and others.