We have all been witness to a global pandemic that has affected the health and well-being of many communities throughout our nation and the world. It has impacted our economy and that of our fellow citizens who are trying to take care of themselves and their loved ones. As we all know the COVID-19 virus is in Okaloosa County and in Destin. The Destin City Council adopted a resolution closing all public and private beaches within the city limits on Friday, March 20, to help protect the health of residents and visitors. I can assure you that from the onset, city staff, at all levels, have been hard at work doing their best to implement federal, state and local directives and guidelines aimed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Code Compliance officers have been working the beaches in an effort for people to voluntarily comply with the council’s directive, to encourage citizens to practice social distancing and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies (OCSO) and Destin Fire Control District’s (DFCD) lifeguards have also been patrolling Destin beaches and engaging beachgoers to gain voluntary compliance. We reached out to our beachfront community partners to assist us in seeking voluntary compliance from their residents and visitors. I personally thank all of them who supported the city council’s efforts and voluntarily closed/blocked off their beach walkovers and placed signage explaining the beach closures. I also want to thank our local grocery stores and pharmacies for the important role they have played in our community by allowing our senior citizens to shop early before the general public. We greatly appreciate their support!
This is a time when our whole community must work together for the common good to support each other and keep ourselves healthy. We don’t want to put anyone in danger, and we are asking citizens to voluntarily comply and practice social distancing. This must be a team effort throughout Destin, the county and beyond. It is not just the responsibility of the Code Compliance Department, Sheriff’s office, Destin Fire Control District or the Okaloosa County Emergency Operations Center to get people to participate in these preventative measures. If we do, we have a chance to begin flattening the statistical curve and spread of COVID-19, saving the lives of our family members, friends, acquaintances and perhaps even salvaging part or all of the one-hundred days of summer. If we do nothing, we can rest assured that the virus will most likely continue to spread. It is our community’s responsibility to make this happen. Our entire community must step up to help slow and finally stop the spread of COVID-19. We have done this before after hurricanes and tropical storms and we can do it again. The action of our Destin City Council on March 20 shows that their number one priority is to protect the health of our residents and visitors.
Thank you for your continued support during this unprecedented situation.
—Lance Johnson,
City Manager
*Please note this article was submitted to Destin Life on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
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