Florida governor issues executive order waiving COVID-19 restriction fines

‘Fines are out of control,’ governor says

Aaron Mesmer reports

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis has cleared all fines on people or businesses for violating local COVID-19 restrictions or mandates over the past year.

His executive order was quietly issued late Wednesday, canceling any fines related to local government COVID-19 restrictions that date back to March 2020.

"I think those fines are out of control and people should be protected," he said Thursday morning. "We want to go forward fresh. We want people to make decisions but we don’t want it to be heavy-handed under the government."

It covers both individuals and businesses, but not nursing homes, assisted living facilities or hospitals, and "remits" those fines imposed between March 1, 2020 and March 10, 2021.

"On March 10, 2021, the Board of Executive Clemency approved the Governor’s proposal to categorically remit all fines related to local government COVID-19 restrictions."

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For those who want to dispute a fine, they would need to simply refer to the executive order as a defense.

On Wednesday, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said the following on Twitter:

Back in September, the governor ordered cities and counties to stop collecting fines from individuals – not businesses -- related to mask violations.

The full executive order can be viewed below:

Mobile users can click here to read Executive Order Number 21-61