Metro Orlando reports no fines
Other municipalities told DeSantis that they issued $1.9M in penalties
TALLAHASSEE — Only a handful of local governments have issued fines to people or businesses related to their coronavirus orders, according to reports requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis. None were in metro Orlando.
Not all cities and counties responded, but out of the ones that did and issued fines, just two account for the vast majority of the $1.9 million in penalties. Miami-Dade County and Naples account for more than 85% of the fines, due to a variety of reasons, including disobeying mask ordinances, staying out past curfew and parking by the beaches when they were closed.
Miami-Dade County issued 1,882 citations totaling $760,600
and another 215 citations totaling $109,650 were issued by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, comprising 45% of the $1,940,162 in fines tallied by DeSantis’ office. In Naples, 3,996 citations worth $789,762 were issued, nearly 41 percent of the total. Overall, 52 out of 67 counties and 212 out of more than 400 municipalities responded.
At the onset of the pandemic in mid-March, DeSantis deferred to local governments to set their own restrictions and mask mandates, saying the diversity of the state and the varying intensity of the virus meant a statewide mask order would be too harsh.
But in issuing the order to reopen Friday, DeSantis erased those distinctions, removing the ability of local governments to collect fines related to pandemic orders. Cities and counties are now also unable to limit restaurants and bars to less than 50% capacity.
“Governor DeSantis suspended the collection of fines and penalties enforced upon individuals because he favors a more constructive, collaborative approach between Floridians and local governments,” DeSantis spokesman Cody McCloud stated in an email.
In metro Orlando, all cities and counties that responded to DeSantis’ request said they hadn’t issued any fines or weren’t aware of any fines being issued.
Orange County did report 13 arrests of people who violated the curfew when it was in effect. Police in Kissimmee made one arrest for violating curfew in March. Altamonte Springs reported citing one business owner for breaking social distancing rules under the Seminole County order, but the typical $500 fine wasn’t issued because the owner later complied with the order.
On the Space Coast, Cocoa Beach reported $34,000 in fines, most of which were parking violations near beaches closed at the beginning of the pandemic. Of the 135 citations, 85 were for parking, 43 of which were paid. Another 25 were voided; 7 were marked as “resolved” and 10 were unpaid. DeSantis said his order couldn’t clawback fines that were already paid but prevents local governments from collecting outstanding fines.
Leaders of major cities and counties have said they were caught off-guard by DeSantis’ move, and that it has sown confusion with residents and businesses.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings called it “not a good look” when the order came out because “we’re not all on the same sheet of music” and is still encouraging residents to wear a mask and remain physically distant when in public.
“There’s no unanimity among governments, and there’s no communication between the county and state in knowing what to do next,” said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.
“[Business owners] try to do business, you try to make money, and you don’t know from day to day what regulation will be imposed upon you, and it’s frustrating. The city must work with the business community to keep people safe.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said mask orders remain in place and despite DeSantis’ order, the county will continue to issue citations and fines, and then begin to collect the money after the state of emergency has expired and the order is no longer in force.
“When the governor’s order ends and the suspension of payments ends, the county will pursue collections sometime in the future. This is not to get money for the county, this is a public safety measure,” Gimenez told reporters Tuesday. “We do not want to see another spike and we don’t want to overwhelm our hospitals which would be a disaster for our county.”
When issuing the order to reopen on Friday, DeSantis noted that trends for COVID -19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, were heading down for new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. He said opening up the economy was necessary to avoid problems such as increases in mental health problems, divorce and domestic violence.