Florida mayors urge Gov. DeSantis to change approach to COVID-19

TAMPA, Fla. — Five mayors in Florida held a statewide virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon to urge Governor Ron DeSantis to change the state’s approach to COVID-19.

St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman was the only Tampa Bay area mayor among the five participating. The others were Mayor Dan Gelber, City of Miami Beach; Mayor Michael J. Ryan, City of Sunrise; Mayor Crystal Wagar, Miami Shores Village; Mayor Carlos Hernandez, City of Hialeah.

According to a press release, the city leaders addressed the rise in cases and made recommendations for DeSantis to consider.

Kriseman said on Tuesday that if cases continue to climb in St. Pete, the city could be forced to put strict new rules in place.

Although Kriseman says it’s too early to say what the new rules will be or how and when they will be implemented, he is planning to meet with Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton to discuss any changes as cases climb across Florida.

“The last thing we want to do here in St. Petersburg is to shut things down again. We’re seeing it happen around the county. We’re going to do everything we can to prevent that including enhanced rules if we need to,” Kriseman said.
The most recent weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing says Florida is in the red zone for cases.
The briefing for governors, dated Nov. 15, said the state is in a viral resurgence “…and with aggressive action now, can contain this surge.”

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