A.G. Gancarski
For roughly three weeks in June, much of Florida reopened bars after closing them in March. Soon enough, they were closed again, as coronavirus proved resurgent.
On June 3, DeSantis issued an executive order allowing openings at 50% capacity. But it didn’t last the month. And now, there’s no telling when bars will open again, the Governor warned.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday in Bradenton that the “status quo” of bar closures would remain in place until the “positivity rate is down” for COVID-19 tests.
That rate, per the Florida Department of Health, stood at 12.5% in tests processed Friday.
The comments came after a group of bar owners in Volusia County sued the Governor and Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears this week.
“Right now, we’re not making any changes. Status quo,” DeSantis said, adding that “we want to get this positivity rate down” until Florida is in a more “stable situation.”
The Governor said the state “plan” allowed bars to reopen at reduced capacity, but they couldn’t comply.
“The problem was no one was following that,” DeSantis added. “I get that’s not how they want to operate.”
“When we were getting reports of them just having packed party situations,” he added, “that was not a part of the guidelines.”
That created a game of “whack-a-mole” for DBPR, attempting to enforce guidelines on a sector seemingly unable to police itself,
“If the plan wasn’t being followed, then there just was not a way we’re going to do it,” DeSantis added.
The Governor, before closing bars again last month, expressed irritation with establishments that went rogue against his order.
“If you go in and it’s just like mayhem, like Dance Party USA, and it’s packed to the rafters, that’s just cut and dry, and that’s not just an innocent mistake,” DeSantis said.
12 comments
Sonja Fitch
July 11, 2020 at 2:57 pm
Now shut down the whole damn state! Shut down those damn theme parks! In 13 more days at this staggering rate of sick and positives Florida will be number One! Flatten the damn curve. Our children will be trying to transition back to school in about 30 days! Our children are more important than the economy! Once our children are safe in a routine, we the damn adults can work! Cancel that stupid RNC!
Paula
July 11, 2020 at 3:38 pm
Stop the short-term rentals. Note the timeline of when they were re-opened and the surge in the number of cases. It’s south Florida closed them down again. They understand the correlation. These were people from all over who didn’t care about distancing (willing to live in a house with a dozen other people), crowd onto the pools and on the beaches, no masks in the stores – I know, they are in my neighborhood.
Alyssa
July 11, 2020 at 6:11 pm
If you shut down the bars then you need to shut down the restaurants. The restaurants here in Panama City Beach are packed to capacity and many restaurants have turned into Nightclubs at night. Many “restaurants” are now charging cover, hiring DJs & bands and closing the kitchens at 10PM but remaining open serving alcohol till 4am
Margan ustin
July 11, 2020 at 6:20 pm
More reporestrictions missing point listening de santis lies. Distortions. Bars still clilosed resulted in stupid usual piecemeal action over loaded capacity restaurants bars many many thousands mobbed into to overcrowded get drink not wear masks.again half-assed piecemeal,deadly mistake.
Restaurant dining in or out caused plateau of catrosphe hospitalizations deaths now record astronotice of both. Forget CONTROLLED CASE TOTALS POSITIVITY RATES FALSELY CHANGED BY DE SANTIS PER DEPT OF HEALTH INSIDERS.
Plateau stable at such record hospitalizations and deaths per de santis as ok is over 100 to 200 daily deaths and daily plateau will fill ALL HOSPITALS. SO HE’S PLANNING SEND REST UNSAFE BUILDINGS ETC TO DIE.
OVER HALF HOSPITALIZATIONS DEATHS SENIORS LIVING AT HOME NOW NOT NURSING HOMES. DYING BECAUSE DE SANTIS PER ADVICE FROM BEST MEDL WONT STRICT MANDATORY LOCKDOWN AS WORST RED FLAG DEADLY INCREASES ONLY SOLUTION AT THIS LATE DATE THAT WILL WORK.
12 WEEKS FROM NOW FLA FULL OF UNSAFE UNDERSTAFFED DEATH TRAPS MILLIONS DYING FLORIDANS DUMPED IN IMPOSSIBLE TO SANITIZE OLD BUILDINGS HUGE CONVENTION CENTERS ETC. THAT’S HIS STATED PLAN AS HE IGNORES OWN WORDS WHEN REACTING HOSPITALIZATIONS CAPACITY WHERE NEEDED HE WOULD ROLL BACK. IT’S HERE GETTING WORSE.
THIS DEADLY SANTIS CANNOT BE TRUSTED IN ANYTHING HE SAYS AS HE IGNORES HOSPITALIZATIONS OVERLOADS LIES ABT ADEQUATE SUPPLIES SENDS WAY NOT ENUF NURSES FOR OVERFLOWS.
HOSPITALS OVERFLOWS CLEAR RESULT NEED STRICT LOCKDOWN AS DR FAUCI SAID 2 WEEKS AGO DIRE PREDICTION RIGHT ON TARGET AND HIS NEXT ONE DUE TO DE SANTIS NOT RESPONDING CORRECTLYING IS TOTAL CATROSPHE out OF HIS OR ANYONE’S CONTROL IN 4 WEEKS. It’s been let happen by de santis despite rest of governors got logic of 4 weeks out closed back while de santis listens to people with zero knowledge other expertise so again makes huge wrong decisions turning florida sick now doomed to cots dirty buildings short MEDL staffstates sent off to wartime unsanitary field conditions because he refuses to heed red flags based on hospitalizations data that now too late masks too late close piecemeal only 5 weeks enforced lockdown Italy and ny showed worked.Italy never reached such high tracks all areas as fla now, they acted constantly to every sign.de santis ignores all.
SAYS MISLEADING PLATEAUED, YES.AT RECORD HIGH INCREASING HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS DAILY WITH OVER HALF SENIORS STILL NOT NURSING HOMES WHitem live at home VOTERS MOSTLY.and growing.
His admitting opening unsanitary huge convention centers with cots no good sanitizing is admitting he needs take drastic action avoid this now.
Jax convention not happening.12 weeks from now nobody go. All de santis doing not adhering to all red flags rite now is worsening economy budget deficits deaths and tourists give for years if he doesn’t lock down control spread not do to lagging numbers but actual ones as long time since July 4 or protests and still daily record highs.
HE NEEDS STOP MUMBO JUMBO LEAST IMPORTANT CASE POSITIVITY AS IS SKY HIGH BASED ON ACTUAL HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS NOT BASED ON HIS MANIPULATION AMT TESTS GET FALSE POSITIVITY AS HE DOES MOSTLY.PER DOH REPUTABLE STAFF,
TIME HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON VIRTUAL TV WITH BANDED TOGETHER CABINET MEMBERS LEADERS ALL TOGETHER HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS DEMANDING STRICT LOCKDOWN AS FLORIDA PAST POINT OF DESTRUCTION WITHOUT IT.
GIVE THE PUBLIC INFORMED CORRECT DIRE CONDITIONS SO THEY CAN PROTESTS DE SANCIS LIES AND LACK OF CORRECT ACTION BY BEING HEARD IN PUBLIC VIRAL ONGOING DAILY TELEVISED PUBLIC FORUMS TO LET PUBLIC HAVE A VOICE AND PROTEST DE SANTIS DOOMING THEM MORE DAILY.
All they hear are his downplaying horrific surges ongoing daily hospitalizations full and deaths more than triple daily from 3 weekstates ago.
We know only thing stopped it. He’s doing opposite keeping open places causING it and it’s real.will be 200000 cases 40 percent positive 500 daily dying people in old hotels little care all over fla sick and dying.he’s setting that up right now.PEOPLE NEED TV PUBLIC VIRAL PUBLIC FORUMS SET UP BY BANDING TOGETHER CARING LEADERS ACROSS FLORIDA SEVL TIMES A WEEK TO EXPOSE EACH DEADLY LIE DISTORTIONS IGNORING DEADLY TACTICS USED EACH DAY BY DE SANTIS.ORGANIZE NOW EXPOSE POINT BY POINT HIS FAKE AND DEADLY PLANS TO DO NOTHING IMPORTANT STOP VIRUS EVER.
PUBLIC HAS RIGHT HEAR OTHER THAN HIS DAILY DISTORTIONS. PUBLIC HAS RIGHT BE INFORMED AND PROTEST HIS INHUMANE PLANS FOR THEM. Stations would put on virtual 2 way unlicensed forums for Nikki fried and many others making up a panel to expose de santis tragic plan he’s doing topposite florida residents for trump and his own arrogance and stupidity and evilness.
Refusing cuomos help per derelic of responsibility he owes florida sincehe made he florida at almost impossible now slow virus. Dr faucI called it 2 weeks ago.it’s happening.de santis must be forced out of office for criminal deliberate misleading and negligence resulting in deaths if many and loss of jobs.pay them.strict lockdown 5 weeks.copy Italy ny worked or disaster long b4 Aug and nov.
Do own PUBLIC FORUMS BAND TOGETHER.IT’S FORCE DE SANTIS OUT FOR CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE.
INFORM THE PUBLIC ON TV FORUMS WITH PUBLIC INPUT NOT JUST FEW MASK PROTESTORS SO PUBLIC CAN GET RID OF HIM NOW,
now
..
And higher daily deaths due piecemeal half ineffective vastly failing de sanoise non actions.
GYMS ETC ETC STILL DRIVING SURGING FULL HOSPITALS
.
Frankie M.
July 11, 2020 at 8:06 pm
DuhSantis is doing a good job of using covid as an excuse to shut down small breweries. Any establishment that dares to criticize Halsey can expect a visit from armed Gestapo agents looking to shut them down. If you don’t believe me ask Aardwolf in Jax or several of the businesses that were following all of the rules but got shut down anyway. Meanwhile restaurants serving alcohol fly under the DBPR radar. Can you say double standard?
Bob Rogers
July 11, 2020 at 8:31 pm
Thank you Gov. DeSantis for proposing and pushing through the long needed pay raise for teachers. Perhaps the better education which will surely result from this increase in the attractiveness of teaching as a profession will decrease the amount of semiliterate citizens,as evidenced in the diatribes posted in this comments section.
Good job sir, now let’s continue to restore the Everglades,you’re off to a good start.
DnA
July 12, 2020 at 2:50 pm
Agree with Frankie…DeSantis is using bars as scapegoats. Bars have been ordered closed since June 26th, and yet Florida’s COVID cases climb exponentially. Legit bar owners and employees are just trying to work to pay their bills, period. Shut down places that DON’T comply on a case by case basis. We have customers who have come to our bar for 23 years. We miss them. #desantisgetaclue
Robert Higgins
July 13, 2020 at 7:06 am
Two weeks later and the numbers are still spiking. The bars were NOT the problem.
Susan
July 14, 2020 at 5:30 pm
Exactly!
Kitty
July 13, 2020 at 10:00 am
We were compliant with the order and we get punished because of everyone else’s mistakes you need to take a look at the bigger picture here I dont think it is fair
Susan
July 14, 2020 at 5:45 pm
Closing the bars is bs. Closing the state is bs. Our economy cannot take much more. DeSantis wants to reopen the schools. He reopened DISNEY for God’s sake – can anyone say international travelers? We have had all these ridiculous protests complete with looting (no consequences) and the BARS are the problem?
Trying to bankrupt the whole state? Reintroduce prohibition? So many small (and some large) businesses have already permanently shut down. Many STILL have not been able to get unemployment since MARCH because of the crappy website crashing. And don’t even try to call.
Isolation and quarantine isn’t the answer. When you come OUT of that bubble, you will get sick. Because your immune system has been sanitized. We need to practice herd immunity. Yes, immune-compromised people should probably wear a mask while in public. We all need to practice exceptional personal hygiene. And if you’re sick (even if it’s just a cold) – stay home.
Common sense is what’s needed — not more closures
Veronica L Ventrice
July 14, 2020 at 8:56 pm
Shutting down and going into lock down is not good this will start mental problem child abuse and domestic violence people need to listen and sicial distance and wear there masks
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