Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
DeSantis urges dining at restaurants
As states impose shutdowns, Florida looks to keep hospitality industry going
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Tuesday that he’ll keep restaurants fully open to ensure workers in the state’s hospitality industry remain employed despite the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve got your back,” he told servers, cooks and other employees while visiting the Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach.
As California and other states impose business shutdowns in response to major outbreaks of COVID-19, Florida wants to send a message that no restaurants will be forced to close, DeSantis said.
“If a local leader wants to put them out of work, you’re damn right I’m hobbling them from doing that,” he said, standing near masked employees from the steakhouse and other area restaurants. “If they want to shut down businesses, I’m going to stand in the way. ... I don’t think government has a right to put these people out of work.”
Most of the people who get the virus are infected at home, DeSantis said, citing a recent New York government study that found 1.4% of COVID-19 cases have been traced to bars and restaurants. But New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo just imposed another New York City ban on indoor dining, saying the risk of transmission is too great.
“The vast, vast majority of infections are occurring in peoples’ homes, particularly if you have people getting together,” DeSantis said. “So closing a restaurant to indoor dining is going to lead to more people doing that in private homes anyways.”
The governor’s message contradicted the most recent guidance for Florida from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The Dec. 6 advisory urged strong measures to stop the surge of the virus, such as stopping
indoor gatherings of people aside from those in immediate households.
The task force report also said that people 65 and older should stay out of all indoor places where there is a likelihood that they may come into contact with people without masks.
The reports are generated weekly by a 26-member panel, including Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx.
DeSantis has refused to release the documents to the public since Nov. 1, but the Center for Public Integrity obtained a copy of the Dec. 6 report and the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported about it. The Sun Sentinel and its sister paper the Orlando Sentinel are suing the governor for the release of the weekly reports.
DeSantis said with the Christmas holiday coming up, it’s important to keep business humming and people eating out.
“The evidence at this point does not show restaurants are significant drivers” of the virus, the governor said.
Florida has experienced a steady rise of new COVID19 cases since mid-October. That was a few weeks after DeSantis pushed the state into Phase 3 of the state’s reopening program, which put restaurants and bars at full capacity.
The state is now averaging more than 9,000 cases a day, including a report Tuesday that another 9,411 people tested positive.
But the governor said the arrival of vaccines this week is a turning point in the battle against the virus. In the meantime, restaurant workers should not worry about making ends meet, DeSantis said.
“You’re an important part of our state,” he said to the assembled workers at his news conference. “You’re working folks who are working hard to make a living. ... You can take it to the bank, in the state of Florida you’re going to have that right defended by the governor.”
The steakhouse on Okeechobee Boulevard has been part of the West Palm Beach community for 73 years. It’s billed as the state’s oldest steakhouse. Owner Ralph Lewis said he was forced to lay off about 20% of his 100-person workforce at the start of the pandemic when Florida shuttered indoor dining in April.
The remaining staff were able to continue working at a food truck and meat market across the street.
Siobhan Wilson, a steakhouse employee for 23 years, shared how she was able to purchase her first home thanks to the restaurant’s temporary food truck operation.
Theresa Hodgdon, a single mother of two, was moved to tears when she thanked the governor for allowing the restaurant to stay open.