The great Governor DeSantis this morning signed an executive order suspending all emergency local COVID restrictions in the state of Florida, saying he believes in the vaccines and this is the evidenced-based thing to do.
Here’s more from FOX 8:
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Monday to suspend all COVID-19 emergency orders in Florida that were put into place by counties and cities, effectively ending all local pandemic-related restrictions in the state.
“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 during a bill signing at a St. Petersburg restaurant. “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.”
DeSantis also signed SB 2006, a bill banning vaccine passports and limiting some local government powers. The bill will ensure neither the state or local government can close businesses or keep kids out of school “unless they satisfy demanding or continuous justification.”
That law will take effect July 1. DeSantis said the executive order to suspend local orders will be pursuant to that bill, and will take effect immediately.
“I think folks that are saying they need to be policing people at this point, if you’re saying that you really are saying you don’t believe in the vaccines data, science,” Governor DeSantis said.
The bill DeSantis signed won’t go into effect until July 1st, which is why he’s using his executive powers to suspended all the emergency restrictions between now and then.
One of the mayors who was quoted in the larger article saying that he believes the executive order will be challenged. Of that I’m sure, and they’ll probably judge shop to get one who will suspended the governor’s orders immediately. But even if that happens, it will be moot in two months anyway when the law goes into effect.