Florida CEO Asks Mayor to Open Private Beach in Front of His Condo

A Florida CEO is pleading with the city's mayor to open up the private beach in front of his condo because he is tired of police busting him and his wife for sneaking out to the beach, which has been closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The CEO says he is using the beach to get exercise during the lockdown.

Thomas Madden, who heads up the TransMedia Group, asked Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer to "fight this vile virus with some common sense" in an open letter that was published in the Boca Raton Tribune.

"Many of us confined to our oceanfront condos need to exercise daily to stay fit, which means we need to walk or jog on what is our front yard, our wide empty beach," Madden wrote. "Our gyms and pools are closed. We’re confined to our apartments where many of us don’t have Peloton bikes or Nordic Tracks to spin ourselves silly."

Madden is referring to Palm Beach County's orders to close all "public and private beaches, parks, boat ramps, and public and private golf courses, as well as non-essential businesses," Fox News reported.

At issue is that Madden and his wife are desperate to be physically active but have no space to do so.

"For many of us condo dwellers, we have no place to exercise, but on our beach, but police keep chasing us, telling us the beach is closed and ordering us off the beach immediately," he continues. "My wife, Rita and I, are starting to feel like outlaws, like we’re Bonnie and Clyde when we sneak out for a short brisk walk along the shore."

Madden concluded his letter by requesting Singer to open the private beach in front of his condo for exercise so that residents can "stay healthy and alive."

The public beaches "where people just congregate and lay together on blankets and chairs" can remain closed, he added.

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