CORAL SPRINGS, FL – Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he is suspending local emergency orders related to the pandemic, effective immediately.
At a news conference at a St. Petersburg restaurant, he signed an executive order to suspend Covid-19 emergency orders in Florida that were put into place by counties and cities, effectively ending all local pandemic-related restrictions in Florida.
DeSantis also signed a bill banning vaccine passports and limiting some power of local government.
That bill, taking effect on July 1, will ensure that state or local government can’t close businesses or keep children out of school “unless they satisfy demanding or continuous justification.”
“To bridge the gap between then and now, I’m going to suspend under my executive power the local emergency orders as it relates to Covid,” DeSantis said, with the crowd behind him clapping.
“I think that’s the evidence-based thing to do. I think folks that are saying they need to be policing people at this point, if you’re saying that, then you’re really saying you don’t believe in the vaccines,” he added.
Reached for comment, Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook said he wants to see the governor’s written order and then review it with the city manager and city attorney before saying anything public about it.
