What happens if you don’t wear a mask in Key West?
packed streets and spring break crowds, Key West has stopped enforcing a strict law that requires people to wear masks in public.
Miami-Dade made a similar decision several days ago, but reversed itself on Thursday. The county’s police department now says it will resume enforcing a mask and curfew law despite an executive order from the governor that cancels fines.
Key West has been drawing thicker crowds of tourists for months despite the pandemic. The island now is now in peak season with an extra layer of spring break visitors.
“We’re not writing civil citations currently,” Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg. “We’re telling people. If they still refuse, I think that’s the end of our encounter.”
Key West still has the mask ordinance on the books, but it’s no longer being enforced through citations in light of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order last week that canceled fines for violating emergency COVID-19 orders, officials said Thursday.
“No,” said Code Compliance Director Jim Young, when asked if his team was enforcing the local mask rules.
That’s fine with Young, who along with his officers has been on the front lines of mask enforcement. They’ve seen the ugly side of mask-related defiance.
Officers have been physically assaulted, cursed at and scorned. One was bitten, Young said.
“I don’t want to engage these individuals who now feel emboldened because they realize, ‘They can’t fine me.’ It’s not worth jeopardizing my code officers’ safety,” Young said.
Key West is still trying to get people to wear masks, said City Manager Greg Veliz. Police and code officers are handing out free masks to people downtown. But DeSantis’ order halted legal enforcement of the mask law.
“Handing out citations that will never be collected is not something we’re looking to do,” Veliz said.
In Key West, though, very few citations were issued because the mask ordinance was never heavily enforced, Mayor Teri Johnston said.
“That’s what we’re supposed to do as a tourist destination,” Johnston said. “Get people to comply voluntarily. Don’t fine them.”
Police officers would write about six citations a month, the mayor said.
“Everybody has this out of perspective,” Johnston said. “They really warned people four and five times before giving them a citation and most people will comply by then.”
For now, the mayor said the city asks people to mask up, especially when they are in crowds downtown.
“We’ve got less than 20 percent in Key West vaccinated so please mask up,” Johnston said.
Key West’s mask law also carries a criminal penalty. But Chief Brandenburg, who said this year’s spring break has been “milder” so far, said it takes something in addition to breaking the mask ordinance to go to jail in Key West.
On March 10, a 63-yearDespite
old Minnesota man was jailed after police said he refused to put on a mask while walking on Duval Street and resisted arrest by refusing to give his Social Security number, which is required for police to write a citation.
“I live in a free country and I am not wearing one,” the man told police, according to the arrest report.
The next day, a 23-yearold man was jailed on a charge of disorderly conduct after police said he spewed obscenities at them and refused to comply with the mask ordinance. He also resisted arrest by refusing to sign the civil citation, police reported.
City Commissioner Billy
Wardlow, who rides around downtown at night to check out the crowds, said he isn’t worried about the city no longer enforcing its mask ordinance.
“I see a lot of people in compliance with wearing a mask,” Wardlow said. “I don’t see a reason for them to have a mask on at the beach.”
So far, Key West is running smoothly during spring break, he said.
“If we had the problems Miami Beach had, I’d be the first to say, let’s put a curfew in,” Wardlow said. “I cringe whenever I see that news and the problems they’re having. Stay up there, please.”