Florida Starts to Reopen Beaches Amid Coronavirus Pandemic North Florida beaches were among <br />the first to open after Florida Gov. <br />Ron DeSantis gave the green light on Friday. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced <br />that Duval County beaches would reopen <br />with restricted hours on Friday. Lenny Curry, <br />via Twitter Lenny Curry, <br />via Twitter Despite being instructed to follow <br />social distancing guidelines, "It was a mad dash <br />here for the ocean," according to CNN's Randi Kaye. Photos and videos began to surface of <br />Jacksonville Beach with large crowds near the <br />water less than 20 minutes after reopening. As of Saturday morning, Florida had at least <br />25,269 cases of coronavirus, including 740 deaths,<br />according to the Florida Department of Health.
