As the Tampa Bay area continues to brace for the coronavirus pandemic, some of the local municipalities have either canceled or made changes to their summer camp programs.
ABC Action News has put together a list of summer camp programs that have implemented changes or canceled all together for 2020.
RELATED: Florida lifting all restrictions on youth activities, including athletics and summer camps
CITY OF TAMPA
The City of Tampa's Parks and Recreation Department began the summer with a two-week Summer Kickoff Camp program on June 1. Now the city is gearing up for the Recreate, Educate, Create (R.E.C.) Summer Camp.
RELATED: City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department releases info on summer camps
The camp will begin on June 22 and will run Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 15 locations with limited registration.
Registration taking place starting June 15 at 6 p.m. for residents enrolled in there 2019/2020 after school program. It will then open to other residents on June 16 at 6 p.m. It will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The full list of R.E.C. Summer Camp locations are as follows:
- Copeland Center, 11001 N 15th St, 33612
- Cyrus Greene Center, 2101 E Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, 33610
- Dr. MLK Complex, 2200 N Oregon Ave, 33607
- Fair Oaks Center, 5019 N 34th St, 33610
- Forest Hills Center, 724 W 109th St, 33612
- Grant Park Center, 3724 N 54th St, 33619
- Gwendolyn Miller Center, 6410 N 32nd St, 33610
- Cordelia B Hunt Center, 4810 N Himes Ave, 33614
- Jackson Heights Center, 3310 E Lake Ave, 33610
- Kate Jackson Center, 821 S Rome Ave, 33606
- Loretta Ingraham Center, 1615 N Hubert Ave, 33607
- Police Athletic League, 1924 W Diana St, 33604
- Port Tampa Center, 4702 W McCoy St, 33616
- Springhill Center, 1000 E Eskimo Ave, 33607
- Wellswood Center, 4918 N Mendenhall Dr, 33603
For more information call the Summer Hotline at 813-274-3345.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Hillsborough County is bringing back summer camps after previously saying they were canceled. Summer camps begin Monday, June 8 and run through August 7. They are open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Families will pay $50 per child for the entire nine-week session. Capacity will be limited and participants in the county's after-school camps will be given priority.
How to reigster:
- Sign in to your online Parks & Recreation account, or create an online Parks & Recreation account
- Choose which location and program type you want to enroll your child in
- When the registration period is active, you will be able to click the camp type next to your chosen location and go to the registration page
- Add the item to your cart
- Complete registration
Click here for more information.
Safety changes that will be in place include:
- Camp staff will wear face coverings when social distancing is not possible. Camp participants will be encouraged to wear masks.
- Hand sanitizer stations will be available at each location, and intensive cleaning protocols will be in place.
- Camp participants will be broken into groups to minimize contact with others; staff will stay with the same group of children each day. Any shared objects will be washed after each use, nightly, and on the weekends.
- Each camp site will have designated contactless pickup and drop-off areas.
- To minimize potential exposure, there will be no offsite field trips.
PASCO COUNTY
Pasco County will have a modified 2020 Summer Day Camp program.
The 2020 Summer Day Camp program will go from June 15 to July 24, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Online registration begins Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. You must register for all six weeks to participate.
There will be new safety and health procedures for the camp.
- Children's temperature taken daily before being accepted into camp
- No field trips, to ensure a controlled environment throughout the day
- Sign in/check out at your vehicle
- Reduced camper-to-staff ratios/group intermingling to promote social distancing
- Increased sanitizing of facilities and equipment
- Staff will be required to wear face coverings
However, on Friday the county announced it would be "evaluating" plans following an announcement from Gov. DeSantis that lifted all restrictions on youth activities, including athletics and summer camps.
POLK COUNTY
The Polk County Parks & Natural Resources Division canceled 2020 camps and recreation programming. That includes Camp R.O.C.K., Summer Frenzy Programs, A to Z Nature Camp and Discovery Center Summer Recreation Outdoor Education.
"This difficult decision was made due to the many challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Parks and Natural Resources Director Gaye Sharpe. "The health and safety of our campers, parents and staff is paramount during this challenging time."
For more information about Polk County Parks & Natural Resource Division's program closures, please call (863) 534-7377.
PINELLAS COUNTY
According to the county's website, Summer Camps are to-be-determined on CDC Guidelines because of COVID-19-19.
CITY OF ST. PETE
St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation website says Summer Camps will take places June 1 through August 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Click here for more information.
SARASOTA COUNTY
- Bee Ridge Summer Camp is closed through Monday, July 27 and the Laurel Park Summer Camp is closed through Friday, July 24 due to positive COVID-19 test
Online registration for both specialty and day camp programs will open June 8 at 9 a.m. Camps start Monday, June 29 and will run for five weeks through the end of July. A minicamp will be held from August 3 through August 7.
This year, there will be 50 spots available per week at each of the five camp sites, according to Nicole Rissler of Sarasota County's Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department. A sixth week camp will be offered at Colonial Oaks and Woodmere Park from Aug. 3 – 7 (pending registrations and staff availability).
The county will not be running field trips at daycamps, but a variety of people will be going to camps for presentations / fun activities. And there will be a decreased ratio of campers to counselors and enhanced cleaning at all sites.
Click here for more information.
HERNANDO COUNTY
Hernando County released its full lineup of kids programs, which includes the following camps: basketball, Weeki Wachee Kayak Days, sports camp, football camp, Camp Funshine.
Click here for more information and how to register your kids.
CITRUS COUNTY
According to the county's website, registration is open for several camps.
Including:
- Youth Kayaking Camp — June 15-19, 2020 | 9 am - 4 pm; 7:30 am early drop-off | 5 p.m. late pick-up | $200 + tax Registration fee | Ages 11-14.
- Camp Sport 'n Splash — June 8- 12 | July 6- July 10 | August 3- 8 | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. | With option of 7 a.m. early drop-off | Late pick-up by 6 p.m. | For boys and girls ages 11 to 14 | $50 per child with $10 discounts for additional kids in same family
- Camp Color Rush — June 22-26 | July 20-24 | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. | With option of 7 a.m. early drop-off | Late pick-up by 6 p.m. | For boys and girls ages 11 to 14 | $50 per child with $10 discounts for additional kids in same family.
Click here for more information or click here to register.
MANATEE COUNTY
Registration for the county's Summer Blast Camp opened Wednesday, May 27. The camp will be held at the G.T. Bray Park Recreation Center and the John H. Marble Recreation Center starting June 1.
The county says Parks and Natural Resources' popular outdoor specialty camps will also be offered at some preserved starting June 8.
Story developing, check back for an updated list of counties and cities.