Lawmakers, staff will face new COVID-19 measures at Florida Capitol.

TALLAHASSEE — When the Florida House and Senate begin interim committee meetings Monday in the run-up to the March 9 start of the legislative session, there will be some new protocols and safety measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Capitol is usually humming with activity when lawmakers are in town, but the new guidelines will likely produce a more barren, sterile building while legislators prepare bills for the session.

For example, the general public won’t be allowed into Senate committees but will be able to watch from a room in the Leon County Civic Center a few blocks away and provide testimony remotely.

Reporters and invited guests giving presentations will be allowed to attend in-person, but the chamber is reducing the number of committees meeting simultaneously so they can meet in larger rooms more conducive to social distancing.

“Until a vaccine is widely available for those outside of high-risk designation, the Senate will continue to proceed with care and caution, observing social distancing guidelines and limiting in-person meetings,” Senate President Wilton Simpson said in a memo to members last month outlining the protocols.

The House will allow the public to attend its hearings when bills are discussed in person, but with social distancing restrictions on a first-come, first-serve basis before the available seats are filled. When major or contentious bills are heard, the House will have expanded seating and those interested in testifying can register on the House website for a ticket, which can be picked up at the Capitol rotunda. There will also be an option to allow the public to testify virtually.

Both chambers are rearranging their schedules to hold meetings in larger rooms to accommodate social distancing guidelines.

The House is requiring masks for staff and visitors, but they are only recommended for members. During the organizational session in November after the elections, several members didn’t wear masks on the floor of the House, where all senators wore masks.

More than 10 Florida lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began last March, including Simpson, who had to withdraw from casting an Electoral College vote for Trump last month because of his positive test.

Members of both chambers and their staff will be required to get a negative COVID-19 test before accessing the Capitol, and a testing site will be set up outside the Capitol on Monday. Reporters must also get tested at the beginning of each week of meetings.

All lawmakers have been encouraged to hold meetings via video conference and avoid in-person meetings as much as possible, and House members were instructed to bring only district legislative assistants, and no additional staff, to the Capitol.

The Senate will kick off its meetings with a procedural briefing to go over the safety guidelines with committee chairs and vice chairs, followed by another briefing that will be closed to the public to go over security procedures.

Simpson’s memo said the Senate will review and revise its protocols ahead of February committee meetings, while the House will adjust their safety guidelines before the start of the legislative session.

“We appreciate the challenges presented by COVID-19, but are confident that if we work together in a spirit of openness and consideration, we can navigate the challenges of the next few weeks,” House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor wrote in his memo outlining the guidelines.