West Palm Beach hotel may be fined for hosting maskless crowd at DeSantis news conference.

A Hilton hotel in West Palm Beach got a government warning Friday for letting a pack of people gather mask free during a news conference held by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A crowd of 100 to 150 people rallied Friday inside the Hilton Palm Beach Airport, violating the county’s COVID-19 mask ordinance.

An estimated 80% of the crowd wore no masks. DeSantis himself showed up without a mask and remained that way.

Although DeSantis has prevented counties from collecting fines on people who violate mask-wearing ordinances, businesses can be fined for not enforcing the law.

The Hilton could be fined up to $15,000 if it violates the mask ordinance again, a county spokesman said.

Asked about the lack of masks at Friday’s event, a DeSantis spokeswoman did not directly answer questions about why masks weren’t worn. “The governor’s executive order suspending the collection of fines and penalties associated with COVID-19 enforced upon individuals remains in place,” she said.

A Hilton hotel representative couldn’t be reached for comment Friday. Hotel management released a statement to WPEC-Ch. 12 saying they were disappointed that the crowd ignored mask mandates that are posted throughout the hotel.

“While we welcome the Governor and all of our guests to our hotel, we are in strong support of all federal, state and local guidelines associated with the COVID19 pandemic,” the statement said. “Moving forward, we will continue to do our best to monitor and enforce these guidelines as long as they remain in place.”

The event Friday was scheduled as a news conference to discuss DeSantis’ proposed election reforms, but the event took on the feel of a rally, with exuberant supporters wearing DeSantis shirts and paraphernalia.

Fifteen minutes before the event began, county officials were informed “a large audience was in attendance and numerous individuals were not wearing facial coverings or masks,” a county spokesman said. The county then sent a COVID-19 enforcement representative to the event.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay expressed frustration at DeSantis for the lack of masks.

“It’s clear there’s a certain segment of the population, including our governor, that doesn’t believe in the CDC protocols,” McKinlay said.

“I wish our leader at the highest level at the state could respect local community’s wishes and recognize that all we’re trying to do is keep people safe. And there seems to be a complete disregard for that.”

Since passing its mask-wearing ordinance in June, Palm Beach County code enforcers have taken an “education-first” approach, handing out warnings to businesses that are first-time offenders. If they violate the rules again, then the county moves toward financial penalties.

In one of the more notable instances, former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a Lago resort in Palm Beach received a stern warning from the county after a video on social media showed maskless partiers on New Year’s Eve. In a letter to the club, county officials said another violation could result in a $15,000 fine.