Some initial restrictions eased from first discussion

Plaza 97 percent occupied, according to property owner

In Tarpon Springs, the news that restaurants and other retail businesses could reopen, with reduced capacity utilizing social distancing guidelines, was met with relief by Mayor Chris Alahouzos, who wrote “Florida is safe and back in business” in a Facebook post later that evening.

A recent tour of Tarpon Springs revealed many empty stores and deserted streets, as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the city in clearly visible ways. “This is typically our busiest time of the year, but instead we’ve been closed for three weeks,” City Commissioner Rea Sieber said from her wine shop at the west end of the docks on March 30. “Our high season is from February to Easter and we missed it.”