TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis extended an executive order that bans local governments from enforcing mask mandate violations.
The initial order, signed in late September, prevented governments from collecting money from "COVID-19 enforcement upon individuals" and also prevented city or county governments from ordering restaurants to close without justification for health or financial reasons.
“... the State of Florida continues to suffer economic harm as a result of COVID19 related closures, exacerbating the impacts of the State of Emergency, and Floridians should not be prohibited by local governments from working or operating a business," the order read.
This comes as what used to be near almost daily press appearances from DeSantis have faded, instead turning into short and sporadic pre-recorded videos posted to social media.
Critics of the new methods said it’s insufficient for the state’s more than 800,000 deaf and hard of hearing.
You can read the full order here.
