On May 3, Governor DeSantis signed into law a bill intended to limit state and local government emergency powers. Among other things, the bill requires that any emergency orders issued by local governments be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling public health or safety purpose and extended only in seven-day increments for a total of 42 days, and also gives the governor the power to invalidate an emergency order if the governor determines that it infringes on individual liberties. The bill does not go into effect until July 1, so to cover the period between now and then, Governor DeSantis has issued an Executive Order immediately suspending all local emergency orders that restrict businesses or individuals due to COVID-19. While the local governments can no longer require restrictions (such as mask mandates), private businesses can still have masking rules and other restrictions. If you have any questions about the implications of these new laws, please call us.
The Executive Order can be found here.
The Bill can be found here.
