Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed two executive orders to the Florida Executive Board of Clemency on Wednesday related to local governments establishing COVID-19 restrictions. The orders were adopted with support from CFO Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried did not support the motion.
The two orders, EO 21-132 and EO 21-133, grant full pardon for individuals or businesses who are charged with non-violent civil and criminal offenses related to breaking local COVID-19 restrictions; and waive fees or fines associated with breaking COVID-19 restrictions, respectively.
In a press release by the Governor’s Press Office regarding the order, Governor DeSantis commented on the issue by stating, “Today, we took action in Florida to reject the overreach of local authorities through unnecessary and unscientific mask mandates. No business should face economic ruin and be punished for alleged violations of local orders that are unreasonably restrictive of rights and liberties.”
These two orders join a list of other executive orders DeSantis passed during the pandemic. The first, EO 20-244, was approved in September 2020 that officially opened all businesses and suspended the collection of fines given to business owners who broke local restrictions. In March 2021, those same suspended fines were cancelled by EO 21-65. On May 3, DeSantis suspended all remaining local COVID-19 restrictions and regulations on individuals and businesses with EO 21-102 that was later made into law with Senate Bill 2006.
The executive order (EO 21-132) from Wednesday stems from a 60-day reprieve issued on May 13 by DeSantis for Floridians and Florida businesses who were arrested, at risk of being arrested, charged, found guilty, or even convicted of non-violent offenses against local COVID-19 regulations. According to the press release, “today, that reprieve becomes a full pardon.”
DeSantis’ Press Office concludes the press release by stating, “These actions are essential to ensure that Florida experiences a rapid restoration and recovery from the COVID-19 emergency, that systems of justice are fair everywhere in our state, and that Floridians are free from burdensome and unscientific local regulations.”
DeSantis was criticized by Democrats because of his previous actions in May and has already received criticism for Wednesday’s executive orders by Agriculture Commissioner and Democrat Nikki Fried who said in a statement, “Our so-called pro-law enforcement Governor is actively encouraging people to break the law with politically-motivated stunts like this… We have laws for a reason. We may not agree with all of them, but we are obligated to follow them as the price of a civil society.”
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Casey Owens is a contributing writer for The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Florida Capitol” by DXR. CC BY-SA 4.0.
