'They just showed up in bunches:' Surf City mayor admits beaches were too crowded over the weekend
SURF CITY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Warm weather pulled people outside this weekend to soak up the sun.
In Surf City, people filled the beach.
But Mayor Doug Medlin said it was a little too overcrowded.
Medlin took a look for himself as he and police patrolled the beach over the weekend.
"I mean, they just showed up in bunches," he told WWAY.
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He called the scene 'a mess,' saying normally he'd be excited to see the crowds but, right now, it worries him.
"We kept our parking closed, and the reason we had closed parking is because we thought that would cut down on the number of people coming, but it didn't," he said.
Because of that, Medlin said, people we just parking on the side of the road.
With the help of the police department, he said they've decided to open public parking for next weekend.
"And we felt like maybe opening the parking up would space them out a little more," he said.
He says they hope people will spread out more on the beach.
For now, Medlin says they have no plans to put more restrictions back in place. But they will take things day by day.
A decision has not yet been made about when short term rentals will reopen.
