Were beach umbrellas previously prohibited at the pier? ⛱

[tesseract]

I visited the Skyway Pier website and downloaded the brochure and couldn't find them mentioned so I called the bait shop and apparently beach umbrellas are allowed at the skyway pier? For some reason, I remember them being prohibited around 10 years ago, maybe longer. Were they once prohibited at some point in time? Or is my mind playing tricks? 

Other than a beach umbrella, are there any other good ways to avoid sunlight during the hottest parts of the day? (from noon until 3pm) My friend is bringing his overweight young son and wants to make sure the child is comfortable and has plenty of cold drinks and snacks, but want to know if there is any way to make him feel cooler and less hot. Maybe I'll try looking on Amazon/eBay for electric fans that plug into a car cigarette outlet. 

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated! Nothing kills a fishing trip faster than a whiny kid saying "I want to go home!" 😫

[Flatsrunner]

I've used umbrellas in the past with no issues, a few post say they have hooked one before that's blown off the pier, keep it secured.

[silverspoon]

I've heard of beach umbrellas being prohibited on beaches due to potential of being blown away and injuring people, recall there have been serious bodily injuries reported in the news due to umbrellas. Having said that, not sure if the Skyway prohibited them. I think it is accurate to say that the classic type beach umbrella has potential to harm and you're probably better going with some type of tarp or tent like structure that does not have steel poles of rods that could injure someone if blown away.

Good large brim hat is also a good investment, and don't forget the sunscreen! I like to wear long sleeve white t-shirts to keep the sun off my arms as wells as light weight pants and shoes. I typically look like a ninja in all my cover but I have had cancer removed off my face and never want to go through that again. Good luck!