The crowds of sun seekers flocking to Hollywood beach will find a new set of safety rules in place come March.
Among them: No walking or hanging out on the sand between midnight and 5 a.m. Open-air canopies would be welcome on a beach known for its kitschy culture but camping tents would be banned. As for those low-riding banana peel trikes known for zipping past pedestrians, they would be outlawed.
The new rules would kick in after a final commission vote on March 16.
Commissioners signed off on some but not all of the proposed changes Wednesday, saying something needs to be done to make the beach safer for everyone, whether they’re walking down the Broadwalk or rolling along on a bike. The new and improved beach ban ordinance will come back for another first reading on March 2.
The Hollywood police, charged with keeping the peace at a beach that draws more than 6 million people a year, came up with the menu of recommendations. The list included a ban on Rollerblades, skates and all bikes with more than two wheels — including the wildly popular four-wheel canopied surreys.
“The police focus is on public safety,” Mayor Josh Levy said after the meeting. “The commission has to balance that with the desires of residents and business owners. In the end, we found the balance.”
‘It’s a free-for-all’
On Wednesday afternoon, commissioners heard from a disabled man who burst into tears at talk of a ban on adult trikes. Another man read a letter from his wife urging them not to ban Rollerblading at the beach, saying it was something she’s been doing for years that still brings her joy. Another speaker complained about road bikes jetting down the Broadwalk at 20 mph.
“It’s a free-for-all,” Vice Mayor Caryl Shuham said after hearing from residents. “The tents are an example of why. We are one of the few cities that allows them. You can’t put up tents on Fort Lauderdale beach, so people who want them come to Hollywood.”
Shuham, whose district includes the beach, also griped about the low-riding banana bikes whose riders have been known to slam into people’s heels.
“I know many people who have been injured,” she said. “I don’t see why these things need to be on the Broadwalk. They are a menace.”
Shuham played a video she took showing tents of all sizes lined up back-to-back along the dunes.
“I see every single weekend the police ATVs unable to get from Point A to Point B,” she said. “I see it every single weekend.”
Current rules require tents to be 10 feet apart so they don’t create a block of canvas along the shore. Under the new rules, tents would no longer be allowed on the beach. Open-air canopies will be permitted but must be set up 20 feet apart, double what’s required now. And tents should never be placed on the dunes, Shuham noted.
Taming the turmoil
The Wild West atmosphere at the beach has not gone unnoticed by police.
Last year alone, Hollywood officers working the beach made 266 arrests and wrote 2,600 citations, Assistant Police Chief Jeff Devlin told commissioners. If you add in all the warnings and casual encounters, those numbers would easily triple, he said.
The officers do their best to enforce the rules, but can’t be everywhere at once.
Closing the sandy section of the beach overnight will help cut down on crime, Devlin said. Officers would be able to tell people to leave the beach and charge them with trespassing if they refuse.
South Beach has a similar rule, Devlin noted.
The new hours will keep people from camping out on the beach at night and also help protect Hollywood’s lifeguard towers from vandals, Devlin told the commission.
Shuham quickly endorsed the idea, saying other coastal cities have done the same.
She pointed to Fort Lauderdale, where a rule on the books bans people from sleeping on the beach between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“I absolutely think the beach should be closed,” Shuham said. “Nothing good is happening after 11 p.m. I think this is a no-brainer when you look at beaches all over the country.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
