This is from the AARP website: "Florida recommends but does not require face coverings for the general public. Several cities and large counties, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Hillsborough (which includes Tampa), have mask requirements, but local governments are barred from assessing fines and penalties for noncompliance under a Sept. 25 executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis."
Tampa can declare a mask mandate but it's null and void because of the Governor's executive order. I'm in the panhandle, lots of people wear masks but plenty don't, it's up to the individual. Many stores like Publix and Wal-mart require them but that's their choice as a private business. I'm just thankful that Florida (and now Texas) is a bit of sanity in a sea of hysteria. For what it's worth, Florida's Covid trend numbers are some of the best in the country so obviously the lack of a mask mandate isn't hurting them.
Exactly. We never had a statewide “mask mandate” but then individual cities did them...and DeSantis then forbade them to enforce them. In other words, you can fine people...but you can’t collect the fine.
The biggest problem is the people. They watch too much TV and are totally devoted to their masks, and even wear them outdoors (which even most of the cities didn’t require).
And of course the teachers’ union is fighting DeSantis every step of the way, despite the fact that Catholic and other religious and private schools have been open since August, the kids and teachers don’t wear masks outside and inside it depends on the school, we’ve had few to no cases traceable to the schools and no deaths. Nonetheless, this virus appears to attack only public school teachers, so they’re hanging out at home in terror, theoretically, and demanding their full pay.
I know some (young) teachers here and they’re terrified because they receive fear porn from the teachers union every day. The counties have got to start saying, “no teaching, no pay.”