money Indialantic may create dog-friendly beach at Sunrise Park on a six-month trial basis
Canine owners, take note: The town of Indialantic appears poised to designate a dog-friendly beach — the third in Brevard County — at Sunrise Park on a six-month trial basis.
Sunrise Park is a 1.8-acre beach recreation area at State Road A1A and Watson Drive, across the highway from the Indialantic Publix that opened in June 2020.
Dogs had been prohibited from nearly all of Brevard's 72 miles of beaches since at least the early 1990s. After heated debate, the Brevard County Commission established the 700-foot dog-friendly stretch of Canova Beach Park in 2012.
Canova Beach Park is located within the Indialantic ZIP code — but Sunrise Park lies 3 miles to the south along the barrier island, within Indialantic town limits.
Cocoa Beach unveiled a dog-friendly stretch of beach in 2018. Dogs are allowed on the sand from 4th Street South to the north side of Robert P. Murkshe Memorial Park from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., with longer hours during daylight savings time.
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On Dec. 8, the Indialantic Town Council voted 3-2 to approve first reading of an ordinance designating the Sunrise Park dog-friendly beach for a six-month test run.
Council members will vote on a second, final reading on Jan. 12. If approved, the dog beach would debut Feb. 1 and continue through Aug. 1, after which council members would resume discussion.
Mayor Dave Berkman, Julie McKnight and Doug Wright voted yes on Dec. 8, while Deputy Mayor Stu Glass and Simon Kemp voted no.
Among the rules:
Dogs would be permitted on the beach from sunrise until two hours after sunrise, and from two hours before sunset until sunset.
Dogs would have to be leashed. Maximum length: 10 feet.
Dog owners would have to immediately pick up pet waste.
"It will be a dog-friendly area between the signs. They have to be on a leash," Indialantic Town Manager Michael Casey said. Owners "have to pick up after themselves. If your dog has ever been ruled a dangerous dog, they can't have them on the beach."
"And they'll have to keep holding the leash," he said.
Casey said Indialantic police would monitor the dog beach. Sunrise Park already is a dog-friendly park, but the animals are not allowed on the sand today.
"We’ll see how it works out. If there's any issues, we're going to tweak things and make any adjustments," Casey said.
Cocoa Beach unveiled a dog-friendly stretch of beach in 2018. Dogs are allowed on the sand from 4th Street South to the north side of Robert P. Murkshe Memorial Park from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., with longer hours during daylight savings time.
Casey said he has discussed dog-beach regulations and oversight with Cocoa Beach Police Chief Scott Rosenfeld.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Indialantic may create trial dog-friendly beach at Sunrise Park
