Major Sarasota events reverse course, announce cancellations

UPDATE: Organizers of the Sarasota County Fair announced the event was canceled Friday.

Nathan Benderson Park announced it would be complying with a county directive not to hold events expected to draw more than 250 people. Triathlon events, U.S. Olympic rowing trials and a St. Patrick’s Day 5K are all canceled, postponed or retooled.  

Previously: At a press conference in Miami Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recommended limiting or postponing “mass gatherings” statewide for the next month as officials respond to the spread of COVID-19.

In Sarasota, where there are no confirmed cases of the pandemic disease associated with the novel coronavirus, organizers and hosts of some major events in March said they’re planning to proceed as scheduled even after the governor’s remarks.

Representatives for the Sarasota Agricultural Fair and Nathan Benderson Park said plans remain subject to change, but they have not canceled or postponed events scheduled for this weekend and the following week.

The Sarasota Fair is set to begin Friday and continue through March 22. Rory Martin, president and CEO of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Association, said organizers spoke to the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County on Wednesday and were given the directive to conduct business as usual while taking precautions targeted at limiting the spread of COVID-19. Martin said fair workers would be sanitizing equipment and surfaces throughout the day and additional hand sanitizing stations would be available for the public.

Martin said the fair would continue to monitor for guidance from officials and health organizations, but he said shutting the event down unilaterally would invite contractual and financial issues for the fair association.

“If they were closing Disney World, Epcot, Universal, Busch Gardens, if the malls closed, if Sarasota County canceled this rowing competition next week, if they canceled all spring training, it may bear different light on our situation,” Martin said.

Martin’s comments came shortly before Major League Baseball announced it was canceling all remaining spring training games.

Nathan Benderson Park spokesman Douglas Jessmer said there are no plans to postpone four different events between Friday and March 22.

“At this time, everything is going as scheduled,” Jessmer said.

The Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Triathlon, the Lucky Leprechaun 5K and Festival, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic rowing trials and the ITU World Cup Triathlon and Paratriathlon are all set to take place at Nathan Benderson Park during the next 10 days. Jessmer said athletes are required to self-report if they are sick, and he said Nathan Benderson Park was posting more hand-washing and sanitizing stations around the grounds.

Jessmer also said Nathan Benderson Park was monitoring for any updates related to the disease. Like Martin, he noted the county health department had not advised against holding the event.

“We are in constant communication with the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County,” Jessmer said. “They have not requested or mandated a postponement or cancelation at this point.”

In his remarks Thursday, DeSantis said he did not have the authority as governor to order the cancelation of events. DeSantis said if mass gatherings are not canceled, organizers should be working to implement preventative protocols, such as asking guests if they are sick or have been in areas where they may have been exposed to confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“You need to have organized screening measures in place,” DeSantis said.

Jessmer said there were about 450 athletes and 1,200 volunteers and spectators at the triathlon events the last time Nathan Benderson Park hosted them. The Sarasota Fair website says the event has an annual attendance of more than 140,000.

On Wednesday, the city hosted a meeting with representatives for local venue operators and the county department of health to discuss coordination plans in response to COVID-19. Following that meeting, City Manager Tom Barwin said officials are working to educate the public about best practices associated with the disease. Barwin said most organizations intended to continue to operate while implementing some precautionary measures related to sanitation.

Following DeSantis’ comments Thursday, the city said in an emailed statement it was waiting to receive more guidance from the county health department before potentially adjusting any of its plans.

“With this being a public health issue, we’re making decisions based on facts and protocols established by the lead agency, the Florida [Department of Health], for the health and safety of the community,” spokeswoman Jan Thornburg said in the email.

The Observer is collecting and regularly updating a list of local events that have been canceled or postponed because of coronavirus concerns.