Beachgoers in Collier County feel like Labor Day was ‘break’ from pandemic

People who spent Labor Day on Vanderbilt Beach in Naples were happy to get away from the pandemic, even if just for a few hours.

Meanwhile, police were out patrolling the beaches to make sure everyone was social distancing.

“There were tons of people many many people from Miami, especially big families and everything,” said Ina Kacani of Naples.

Despite having to dodge some rain later in the day, many were letting the sun and sand melt away any stress the pandemic may have caused.

“I’m happy I came,” said Carlos Acre, a Naples resident. “I really needed that rain upon me to cleanse, and it says it’s going to be OK, everything is going to be just fine, and the future is bright.”

“It was excellent, and the water is lovely, it’s very warm,” Kacani added.

That is until the storms rolled in.

“Our plan was to go to the beach, but it started raining, and we still came anyways,” said Jordy Arenas.

For some, the rain was not welcome. “It did put a bit of a damper on it, not going to lie,” said Darwin Perez of Bonita Springs.

For others, they managed to still have fun and make the best of it. “Nobody is at the beach. That’s why I came,” said Marc Thomson of Fort Myers.

Thompson said that’s the perfect time to come. “I decided to come out and use my metal detector and try to find some goodies.”

Some used the cooler air following the rain to fish and exercise. Others just came to see the sunset.

“I was just thinking to myself every time I come to the beach, it’s just like why do I go anywhere else? It is phenomenal here and it’s just bizarre how beautiful this is,” said Ryan Goodman of Naples.

Most beachgoers out on Monday told WINK News that everyone was following the social distancing guidelines, so they felt safe.