In the days following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, security measures were instituted along the Atlantic coast. Almost immediately, soldiers controlled the bridge crossing the Intracoastal Waterway at what is today Atlantic Boulevard.

Bud Garner was a teenager at that time and remembered the impact:

From then on, everyone had to have a pass to cross the bridge to get on the beach. At night you could not cross unless you had proof that you lived there or had official business. Because of blackouts, the headlights of cars were painted black, except for a half-inch strip to drive by, and we also observed blackout rules in our homes at night. If the blackout warden saw lights from your windows, he would knock on your door to give you a warning.

Quote from Bud Garner, "Army Flash: TODD 8," Broward Legacy, Vol.19, No. 1 & 2, p 43.