DeSantis Signs Executive Order Suspending All Local Emergency COVID Orders

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed an executive order to suspend all remaining local emergency COVID-19 mandates.

During a press conference on Monday in St. Petersburg, DeSantis said, “I think that’s the evidence base thing to do.”

“During any emergency, our businesses should be free from government mandates to close, and our schools should remain open for in-person instruction for our children,” he added.

The governor’s comments come as he signed a bill that would invalidate any remaining emergency mandates, which goes into effect on July 1. However, DeSantis said he signed the executive order to “bridge the gap between then and now.”

The move to suspend local emergency mandates did not go over well with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman (D), who claimed, “This act, this isn’t for the protection of Floridians. This is for politics. And that’s not what it’s supposed to be.”

DeSantis’ order comes as the state has seen a 23% decrease in the number of new cases compared to the prior two weeks.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 15 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Florida — a state with more than