New Smyrna Beach, FL - Public boat ramps in New Smyrna Beach will be closed, effective this Friday, March 27. During the regular meeting on Tuesday, (March 24) New Smyrna Beach City Commissioners approved a range of measures to slow the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
· Public meetings in City Hall and other municipal venues are canceled until Apr. 30, except for City Commission regular meetings on Apr. 14 & 28 and a Charter Review Committee regular meeting on Apr. 23.
· New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex events are canceled until Apr. 30.
· Public amenities are closed until Apr. 30, except for all city parks, New Smyrna Golf Club, and activities for at-risk youth in the Alonzo “Babe” James Community Center.
· The City of New Smyrna Beach’s emergency declaration, first approved on Mar. 17, is now set to run concurrently with and terminate at the same time as Volusia County’s state of emergency.
· Public boat ramps are closed effective Friday, Mar. 27 through Apr. 14, with an exception for commercial fishing vessels to use only the eastern ramps on North Causeway.
· Should the Volusia County Council approve closing beaches, City Manager Khalid Resheidat is now authorized to close city-owned off-beach parking lots with immediate effect.
A decision was also made to shut down the fishing pier under North Causeway near Buena Vista Park. This is not due to the coronavirus but due to concerns about its structural integrity and public safety.
"That pier has deteriorated significantly. We've had our city engineer, our marine engineer, and our building official all look at it. We feel that it should be closed immediately," said Maintenance Operations Director Faith Miller during the staff brief.
Further discussion focused on applying for a Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) grant to cover nearly half of the estimated $698,400 it would cost replace the pier, a process that would likely take over a year to complete.
Another pier recently repaired in 2017 and within walking distance south along the shore, remains open.
