Miami Beach's three dog beaches get longer hours, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. in winter
The commission extended Bark Beach hours to match regular beach hours, with a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. window during sea turtle season.
Dogs will be allowed on Miami Beach’s three Bark Beaches from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. from November through March, the same hours as the rest of the beach, under a resolution the City Commission approved Oct. 14.
From April 1 through Oct. 31, sea turtle nesting season, the dog beaches will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Bark Beaches are at 21st Street in South Beach, 53rd Street in Mid Beach and 81st Street in North Beach.
The change is a big jump from the hours the city has listed until now: two hours most mornings, 7 to 9 a.m. in winter and 9 to 11 a.m. in summer, plus weekend afternoon hours at the North Beach site. The city’s web pages for the beaches still showed those hours Monday. The resolution directs the administration to put up new signs, tell the public and coordinate with environmental and public safety staff, but the city hasn’t announced when the new hours start.
Commissioner David Suarez proposed the longer hours in April. The Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee unanimously recommended them in September, and the commission approved the resolution with its consent agenda on Oct. 14, according to the meeting video. Suarez highlighted the change in an email newsletter to residents Monday.
The later start in turtle season is the administration’s change. Its memo says trained crews survey the beach each morning for new nests before dogs are allowed on the sand, and that dogs on the beach at night can scare off nesting turtles before they lay eggs. The 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. window follows Miami-Dade County’s survey schedule and state wildlife guidance, the memo says.
Because the dog beaches aren’t staffed, the memo asks owners to pick up after their dogs. It cites Florida Department of Health advice that animal waste on beaches can spread parasites and disease and hurt water quality.
Suarez wrote that giving owners designated spots with large signs should help park rangers steer dogs away from beaches where they aren’t allowed.
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