Florida reopens economy despite pandemic

Restrictions lifted on restaurants, local fines banned

Tallahassee, Fla. Gov. Ron Desantis lifted all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in Florida on Friday, and banned local fines against people who refuse to wear masks as he seeks to reopen the state’s economy despite the spread of the coronavirus.

The Republican governor’s order unleashed fresh debate in the politically divided state.

Desantis, an ally of President Donald Trump, acknowledged that the pandemic is far from over, but he said the threat has eased and the time has come to reopen for business.

The governor’s announcement Friday allows restaurants across the state to immediately reopen at full capacity — and prevents cities and counties from ordering them to close or operate at less than half-capacity, unless they can justify a closure for economic or health reasons.

“We’re not closing anything going forward,” Desantis said.

The governor, however, allowed local governments to limit bars to 50 percent capacity, but added that he was “not going to stand in the way” of allowing them to fully reopen.

As part of his plan, the governor barred cities and counties from collecting fines on people who violate social distancing rules or don’t wear face masks. The governor’s order virtually nullifies local ordinances put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Florida Democrats have bemoaned the governor’s push to reopen as hasty.

“No one is advocating for a full-scale lockdown in Florida. But we have been and continue to ask for common sense prevention measures such as face masks, which are essential to preventing further spread,” state Sen. Audrey Gibson said Thursday.

Some local officials appealed to the governor for continued authority to control the outbreak.

“We’re hoping that the governor will allow us to have deeper restrictions than the rest of the state. We have a greater spread of the virus in South Florida than other parts of the state,” Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said.

Miami-dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement Friday that Desantis’ order allows him to continue restricting restaurants to half their capacity. But he acknowledged the county will no longer fine people for not wearing masks.