Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez issues emergency order to close hotels, other lodging except for essential personnel and to house those who have been displaced by COVID-19

As we continue to combat the COVID-19 virus, I have ordered that all hotels, motels and temporary vacation rentals shut down their operations throughout Miami-Dade except to house essential personnel and people who are unable to get back into their homes.

The emergency order I signed this morning closes these lodging establishments throughout Miami-Dade County except in limited cases to help house first responders, displaced visitors or residents, domestic violence victims, airline crewmembers, patients’ families, and journalists from out of town. Here are the exceptions in the order:

Hotels, motels, and other commercial lodging establishments are encouraged to  continue to allow individuals with weekly and monthly long-term living agreements presently in place to maintain such living arrangements of residents during a time of crisis; this includes, but is not limited to: 1) persons unable to return their home due to COVID-19 impacts on travel, 2) persons who must vacate their homes due to exigent circumstances, 3) persons utilizing hotels as transitional living arrangements, or 4) persons sheltering in hotels due to domestic violence.

Also, short-term vacation rentals must end by Monday, March 23, 2020, until further notice. No new rental agreements must be entered into on a nightly or weekly basis starting Monday.

I have also signed an order stopping the practice of boats "rafting up" together for partying out at sea or in Biscayne Bay. Boat owners can go out with groups small enough to practice social distancing of six feet between people on their boats. They must not, however, be huddling with other boats. Only in an emergency situation where one boat needs to be towed by another can boats be tied together to head back to a marina or dock.

In addition, based on Governor Ron DeSantis’ order issued March 20, businesses that are providing services to cities, the County, the state or the federal government can continue to operate.

For details about these orders and all information involving COVID-19, go to miamidade.gov/coronavirus.