Battle brewing over closing beaches in Brevard County

MELBOURNE, Fla. - There are 16 mayors in Brevard County, and late last week, they made emergency declarations and closed down the beaches during the weekend.

The county-controlled beaches stayed open and that has set up a conflict and that conflict

"We believe the county is not doing enough," said Dave Berkman,  Mayor of Indiatlantic. "We’d like to see them step up a little stronger.  The message that the beaches are open, to me, is an indication that we’re open for business, and we’re not."

Berkman fired off an email to the county commission over the weekend, criticizing the members for their Friday vote, allowing the county-controlled beaches to stay open while city beaches were closed.

"I don’t think reality has hit here yet," he said.

Berman is not alone with this opinion. The mayor of Melbourne Beach is equally upset.

"We just can’t take the chance of spreading this virus anymore than we already are," said Mayor Jim Simmons.

On the other side of this issue are leaders like Sheriff Wayne Ivey ,who agrees with the majority of the commission.

"We do not want to have to close our beaches, certainly our citizens love our beaches," he said.

The commission could reconvene and address this issue again. At least one commissioner, Bryan Lober, is calling for all of the beaches to be closed down.