Please place on the May 15, 2024 agenda a referral to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life (“PSNQLC”) to discuss adjusting beach closure hours during spring break to account for time change from standard time to Daylight Savings Time (“DST”).
The yearly shift in time not only alters daylight hours but also impacts the habits and preferences of visitors to our beaches.
During high impact periods such as Spring Break, beach entrances close at 6:00 P.M. while daylight lasts longer into the evening due to the time change. In years when this shift happens early in March, as it will in 2025, visitors will be confronted with what seem to be unreasonable prohibition to use the beach during the lovely late afternoon when some families prefer to go in order to avoid the harshest sun and heat. Adjusting closure hours by one (1) hour to account for DST would allow beachgoers to enjoy the beach for a longer period and would minimize potential confrontation opportunities, thereby being additive to our overall goal of enhancing public safety during the month of March.