DeSantis Suspends All Emergency COVID-19 Orders

St. Petersburg, FL - Effective immediately, all local COVID-19 emergency orders are suspended. Governor Ron DeSantis made that executive order during a press conference in St. Petersburg and said a new bill will also invalidate all local emergency orders by July 1. That new bill, according to DeSantis, will keep local government mandates from closing businesses or keeping students out of in-person instruction unless they can satisfy demanding and continuous justification." The only exception is for emergency orders related to hurricanes. Local emergency orders will also be capped at 7-day increments and can only last a total of 42 days. DeSantis may also invalidate orders too under this law. "Most importantly, as governor, I’ll have authority to invalidate a local emergency order if it unnecessarily restricts individual rights or liberties," said DeSantis.