PORT ARANSAS, Texas — If you stop by the City of Port Aransas, you know the major hotspots include fishing, beaches, and shopping.
The City thrives on tourism to take part in what they have to offer.
However, with concerns of the coronavirus, the city is asking everyone to follow the stay-at-home order issued by Governor Greg Abbott.
For Port Aransas, this also includes additional orders set in place by Mayor Charles Bujan.
Guy Grice has a family home in Port Aransas yet lives in Austin.
Grice wanted to get away from Austin for a while so he drove himself and family to their second home.
Yet, police and code enforcement got a tip saying Grice and his family were coming to the beach town.
Law enforcement told Grice that he would have to go back to his primary residence which was back in Austin because he was in violation number four of the Mayoral Order which states: “Occupants must produce the original and copies of any document or documents which prove the legitimacy of the occupancy.”
“I did make a call to our HOA neighborhood, made a phone call to the property management firm, made a phone call to our security folks there, no one was aware of this rule either,” says Grice.
We spoke to Port Aransas Major Charles Bujan who says coming to Port A for a second home is not essential related.
“The governor says no travel, except for an essential business, a second home is not an essential business,” says Bujan.
The Mayor says he is fully aware of this situation and says these orders may cause some frustration, but the main priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
“We have a small population and we don’t need that population to be infected by people bringing it from outside,” says Bujan.
