FloridaMorons.....

#FloridaMorons trends after people flock to reopened Florida beaches

Meryl Kornfield

Aerial snapshots of people flocking to a reopened beach in Jacksonville, Florida, made waves on the Internet on Saturday.

Local news aired photos and videos of Florida's shoreline dotted with people, closer than six feet apart, spurring #FloridaMorons to trend on Twitter after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, gave the go-ahead for local beachfront governments to decide whether to reopen their beaches during a news briefing Friday. Duval and St. Johns counties have reopened their beaches, while Miami-Dade County officials said they are considering following suit.

On the same day that Florida reported 58 deaths from the coronavirus - its highest daily toll since the pandemic began - DeSantis told reporters that it's essential that Floridians get exercise outdoors.

"I get a kick out of somebody jogging on the beach in California, like all by his lonesome, and you have a fleet of cops go out there," he said. "He's just jogging. Going forward, I think we've got to be promoting people to get exercise."

While DeSantis never ordered statewide closures of beaches, his comment Friday gave the green light to local officials such as Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, who announced that Duval County's beaches would reopen Friday. Curry banned certain items, including towels and chairs, and limited hours to 6 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. to deter people from gathering for a long time.

"This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life," Curry said. "Please respect and follow these limitations. Stay within the guidelines for your safety as well as for the safety of your neighbors."

The droves that showed up at Jacksonville's beach largely ignored Curry's restrictions. "People were seen swimming, biking, surfing running and fishing," CNN reported.

Curry didn't immediately respond to The Post's request for comment about the crowds, but he retweeted another city leader who shared a photo of a near-empty section of a beach.

St. Johns County, where St. Augustine is, said its beaches would reopen for physical activity from 6 a.m. to noon.

Miami-Dade's mayor said during a Saturday news conference that his county would also move forward with reopening beaches, although he didn't specify when.

The governor's office said he left the beach reopening decision for local authorities because "Florida is not a state where a cookie-cutter solution works."

"Governor DeSantis does not oppose the prudent opening of beaches with restrictions," DeSantis spokesperson Helen Ferre said.

DeSantis refused to close beaches at the height of the spring break rush, saying visitors could maintain social distancing, despite photos and videos from beaches across the state indicating that people were not doing so.

Dozens of college students who had vacationed in Miami and other party spots have tested positive for the virus since returning to their home states of Texas, Florida and Wisconsin.

DeSantis has said he will follow President Donald Trump's lead on closures, although Trump has shifted positions and indicated that he will leave those decisions to the states. Florida's stay-at-home order is in effect through April 30.

On Saturday, he stressed the importance of reopening and getting people back to work, adding that he will share the names of who he's appointed for a task force focused on reopening Monday. This comes as other states are making their own preparations to restart business.

South Carolina announced that it was reopening beaches Saturday.