A look at the numbers as Fort Myers Beach mayor anticipates crowds on the way for holiday weekend

A look at the numbers as Fort Myers Beach mayor anticipates crowds on the way for holiday weekend

Fort Myers Beach decided not to close its beach or parking during the Fourth of July weekend.

The mayor anticipates crowds from Florida's East Coast will flock to the beach.

Businesses there say it's already happening.

Fox 4 takes a look at the numbers on both coasts.

YOUR KIDS TO CAMP IF THEY ARESICK OR SHOWING SYMPTOMS OFCORONAVIRUS.AS THE NUMBER OF CASES CONTINUESTO RISE... SOUTHWEST FLORIDALEADERS HAVE BEEN FACED WITH THETOUGH DECISION OF WHETHER TOCLOSE BEACHES AHEAD OF THEHOLIDAY WEEKEND.THE LATEST UPDATE ... FORT MYERSBEACH WILL REMAIN OPEN!AS OUR JESSICA ALPERNEXPLAINS... NOT ALL ARE ON BOARDWITH THAT DECISION...AND THERE’S EVEN BEEN SOMEHEATED CONVERSATIONS EXCHANGEDBETWEEN COUNTIES.I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON FORTMYERS BEACH YESTERDAY.BUSINESSES THERE TOLD ME EVENRIGHT NOW... MANY OF THEIRGUESTS ARE VISITORS FROMFLORIDA’S EAST COAST.THEY FEAR THE HOLIDAY WEEKENDWILL ONLY BRING MORE, AND WITHNUMBERS SO HIGH THERE... THEY’REWORRIED ABOUT THE SPREAD.VO:THE LATEST STATE REPORT SHOWSDADE AND BROWARD COUNTIESCONTINUE TO LEAD OUR STATE, WHENIT COMES TO TOTAL CORONAVIRUSCASES.DADE COUNTY FOR EXAMPLE HASNEARLY 38-THOUSAND CASES,COMPARED TO LEE’S ROUGHLY58-HUNDRED.WITH BEACHES ON THE EAST COASTCLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYWEEKEND... MANY AREAS HEREDECIDED TO LIMIT BEACH PARKINGAND HOURS TO DETER LARGE CROWDS.THAT INCLUDES COLLIER COUNTY,CITY OF NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND ANDSANIBEL.BUT FORT MYERS BEACH DECIDED NOTTO DO EITHER.AND THE MAYOR HAS BEEN OPENABOUT HOW MUCH HE DISAGREES WITHTHAT DECISION.SOTVO:Ray Murphy, Fort Myers BeachMayor:"From Palm Beach County, to KeyWest, to Collier County, tohere, it’s the only beach thatwill be open."BUTT TORay Murphy, Fort Myers BeachMayor:"We’re going to be inundatedwith people here this weekend.They’re going to be everywhere.People are going to be piled ontop of each other.

They alreadyare.

They’re piled on top ofeach other on the county pier,they’re piled on top of eachother in the county park, and itwill be up and down the islandover the weekend.

So God help usall."(18s)EARLIER IN THE WEEK, LEE COUNTYMADE THE DECISION NOT TO CLOSEITS BEACH PARKS.VIZ:JUST YESTERDAY ... THE COUNTYRELEASED THIS HEATED STATEMENTIN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING IT SAYSONE COLLIER COUNTY COMMISSIONERSAID.IT SAYS COMMISSIONER PENNYTAYLOR QUOTE "took it a step toofar by inviting people fromFlorida’s East Coat to inundateLee County beaches."(Attribute both of these toBetsy Clayton, Lee CountyGovernment CommunicationsDirector)VIZ 2:THE COUNTY WENT ON TO SAY QUOTE"it’s challenging enough tonavigate through the pandemicand keep residents’ bestinterests in mind without aCollier commissioner making sucha parochial statement at theexpense of Lee County’sresidents."VO:WE’VE REACHED OUT TOCOMMISSIONER TAYLOR FOR COMMENTAND HER SIDE OF THE STORCOLLIER DECIDED TO LIMIT BEACHHOURS STARTING FRIDAY, WITHSHUTDOWNS FROM 11 TO 5.THE TOWN OF FORT MYERS BEA