JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Food trucks and dozens of tents filled Latham Plaza in Jacksonville Beach for the 904 Pop Up Summer Livin' Event on Sunday.
Many people who attended the event said it felt good to get out.
“I feel like it’s the first time I’ve been out since March,” said attendee Sheila Barnett.
“Absolutely, and you don’t have to wear a mask all the time,” added attendee Sheryl Roach.
The event included 60 vendors and a food truck village.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that Florida has moved into phase three of the state’s reopening plan, meaning all statewide restrictions on bars and restaurants have been removed.
Many businesses at Sunday’s event, like Island Dream Authentic Italian Ice, said it was their first event since the coronavirus reached Florida.
“We missed so many events during COVID this year, so it feels good to be back out among people, back at festivals. This is the fun part of the job,” said Island Dream Authentic Italian Ice owner Brittany Sinclair.
Sammie Jai set up a tent for her skin care line, In My Skin Organics. She created the business while in quarantine.
“I stumbled upon it because I have eczema, so it’s really hard for me to find certain products, and so I just said, ‘I’ll create my own,’" Jai said.
Businesses hope the event is a step closer to normalcy.
All of the vendors followed safety guidelines by promoting social distancing and sanitizing.