TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – With one week left until Florida’s safer-at-home order expires, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ task force is meeting to discuss their plans to reopen the economy.
The order expires April 30, but what does that mean? Will Florida open back up for business or will the order be extended?
The Reopen Florida Task Force has been meeting daily to discuss their plan of action. DeSantis says that plan includes looking at opening low-risk activities first then going from there.
“How do you do things that are going to minimize risk?” DeSantis said. “If people can fight over toilet paper at Costco, then I gotta think there is a way you can run a restaurant safely.”
Back to business conversations are already underway here in Tampa Bay. Sarasota County Commissioners just voted to reopen open county beaches for exercise. Polk County leaders told 8 On Your Side they are aiming to reopen their area on May 1st.
“We are going to have to look at how to manage this thing and deal with it forever and the sooner we start doing that the better off we’ll all be,” Polk County’s Board Chairman, Bill Braswell said.
However, Tampa’s Mayor, Jane Castor and St. Petersburg Mayor, Rick Kriseman, say they are in no rush.
“Our numbers are different, what’s happening in our communities are different,” Kriseman said. “I’m hoping we are given that latitude and the recognition that the science in our community could be different elsewhere.”
Both Kriseman and Castor hope whatever Desantis decides to do about reopening Florida still allows local government to make whatever decisions are best for them.
The task force meets at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
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