Brett Boyer of the Port Aransas Police Department gestures to a motorist approaching the beach at Beach Access Road 1A on Saturday, July 18. The beach was closed to vehicular traffic except for cars carrying people who had disabilities and ADA-compliant placards and license plates. Staff photo by Freda Greene
Nueces County beaches were under a vehicle ban, but that didn’t stop thousands of tourists from visiting Port Aransas over the weekend.
Parked cars filled streets like Beach Access Road 1, 11th Street and Sand Castle Drive. On foot, beachgoers pulled wagons, carried coolers and canopies through every beach access point in town.
Heavy machinery operators piled mounds of sand at beach entries to prevent vehicles from driving onto the beach. Folks with handicap placards and license plates were allowed to drive onto the beach from Beach Access Road 1A.
Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales signed the beach vehicle ban into effect on Thursday, July 16. The order said it would run until Aug. 1, but it could be extended.
As a result of the vehicular ban, some Port Aransas businesses offered free golf cart and van shuttles to the beach.
Brittni Slovak Strauch of Waco said, “This is insane. Cram them into shuttles because that makes much more sense. Y’all need new government.”
This was the scene where Beach Street meets the beach on Saturday, July 18. A Nueces County judge’s order prohibited vehicles from getting on the beach, but vehicles with proper Americans with Disabilities Act credentials were allowed to enter. In the foreground of this photo are beachgoers on foot and in a golf cart. Behind them was a sand barricade blocking traffic. In the background, beachgoers’ cars can be seen parked along a side street. The order prohibiting vehicles on the beach continues to Aug. 1. Staff photo by Freda Greene
Some folks wrote in posts on the South Jetty’s website and Facebook page that they wanted to cancel their hotel and condo reservations in Port Aransas but would lose a lot of money in deposits. One person posting on the newspaper’s website responded to that sentiment with this: “One thousand dollars is a small price to avoid death. Stay home.”
Others demanded that city and county officials refund purchases of beach parking permits made this year.“I want a beach parking refund,” wrote Troy Beam of Pharr.
Parking wasn’t the only issue people had when Canales’ order was announced.
Some confusion arose about which beaches were open to certain activities.
Many believed that Port Aransas was included in a set of rules that applied only to bay-facing beaches in Corpus Christi. Those beaches that face Corpus Christi Bay only are open for exercise purposes.
The beach in Port Aransas is open to all activities (except for driving).
There is a beach curfew in effect county-wide between 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night until Aug. 1, according to Canales’ order.
Despite large crowds still coming to Port Aransas, Amy Jamison, a detective with the city’s police department said police had only minor issues.
“There mostly were just calls from people who lived in houses that didn’t want people parking in front of their homes,” she said.
But police are unable to do anything if those vehicles are parked on a public street legally.
Seven citations were issued to motorists who had parked illegally between July 17 and 19, according to police. One vehicle was towed.
COVID-19 cases were very low here before the reopening of the State. Since the return of the tourists revenue to local businesses is up, but we are a hot spot within the State for COVID-19.
This is a very precarious balancing act the County Judge must perform.
Locals have the right to support her or complain about her; however, visitors (like me) need to keep our mouths shut or stay home.