The Mayor of Port Aransas says that his city can no longer afford to provide policing of the county's beach closure order.
Charles Bujan released a statement on social media on Sunday where he elaborated about his city's inability to afford such costs.
"We have depleted all of our overtime budgets," Bujan said in a Facebook post. "The county beach closure has created a major life safety issue in regards to the in-town beach parking being completely out of control and blocking streets to EMS access and Fire Dept trucks responding to emergencies."
As such, Bujan said that effective Sunday morning, Port Aransas is no longer enforcing the county beach closure order.
“I really like going to the beach,” visitor Jacy Cate said. “We can social distance because of COVID, there’s a lot of space. We know the drill – 6 feet apart.”
Other visitors said the beach provides them a chance to stay healthy.
“I think it’s a great idea,” visitor Samuel Sowell said. “It's about time. The people own the beaches. They say sun and wind is good to keep the virus off. Look, everyone is social distancing.”
Several vehicles made their way onto the beaches on Sunday.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on this situation.