Make sure to take safety initiatives before this Fourth of July weekend. NBC6’s Lorena Inclan reports
Ahead of the busy July Fourth holiday, the City of Miami reminded the public that its spoil islands remain closed in an effort to cut down on contamination and littering throughout Biscayne Bay and the islands.
The islands were first closed before Memorial Day weekend.
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Anyone trespassing onto the islands will be subject to arrest, and the Marine Patrol unit will enforce zero-tolerance measures against those seen trespassing, officials said.
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Boaters who visit the islands were advised to seek alternate destinations.
If the closure has "spoiled" your plans, here are other places to celebrate the holiday and watch the fireworks.
"The Miami Police and Parks and Recreation Departments are collaborating to raise public awareness about the detrimental impacts of littering and will enforce existing laws and regulations," the city said in a statement. "This is a temporary measure to evaluate and restore the natural beauty in our City and our waterways."
The decision is part of a larger effort to promote environmental stewardship and responsible recreation.
"We're going to temporarily shut them down so we can evaluate and better safeguard our our bay and the islands," city spokesperson Kenia Fallat said when the closure was first announced in May. "We just want people to understand that we're not going to tolerate this. Anyone that has seen trespassing will be subject to arrest."
Miami Police Marine Patrol Lt. Oriel Tameron said people heeded the Memorial Day warnings.
“They listened, they did not come to these islands as we can see here in the background, the islands are clean how we left them, you see the nature, you see the birds,” Tameron said.
That's the goal: a clean and trash-free environment.
