Not Wearing A Mask In Miami Beach? Expect A Citation: Report

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Expecting numerous visitors over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the city of Miami Beach will enforce its citywide mask mandate, the Miami Herald reported. City officials have authorized police to issue citations to anyone in Miami Beach’s commercial districts who refuses to wear a facial covering. These citations will be issued through at least Sunday.

According to the city’s enforcement plan, violators will be offered a mask if they don’t have one. Only if they refuse to wear a mask at that point will they be given a citation, reports said.

The city is moving forward with enforcement despite Gov. Ron DeSantis suspending COVID-19 related fines throughout the state. The Miami Beach citations come with a $50 fine that the city will collect when it’s legally allowed to do so, reports said.

City officials will consider extending this enforcement through the remainder of the holiday season. Other South Florida cities, Miami and Key West, are also enforcing mask mandates, the Herald reported.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber has been an outspoken critic of DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 crisis. He joined a group of Florida mayors at a Nov. 18 press conference where they asked the governor to enact a statewide mask mandate and other measures to protect residents against coronavirus.

At this press conference, he said that “it's become pretty clear that what Florida is doing right now isn't working. It's unmistakably clear that Florida's approach to managing this pandemic is failing pretty horribly."

Gelber also spoke out against herd immunity, which is the idea that the spread of the virus will slow if enough people have been exposed to it and are immune to it.