Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) administration took aim at the City of Gainesville after Gainesville City Hall required proof of vaccination prior to allowing individuals to remove their masks on the premises, stating the action violated “the spirit of the Governor’s Emergency Order 21-81 which prohibits vaccine passports and protects the fundamental rights and privacies of Floridians.”
The city came under fire this week after requiring individuals to show proof of vaccination prior to taking off their masks. According to WCJB, individuals who provided proof of vaccination received an orange sticker that identified them as vaccinated. City Manager Lee Feldman described the sticker as “just a visual cue that would allow anybody who was enforcing the mask requirements inside the room to know whether you needed to be wearing a mask or not.”
DeSantis’s administration issued a sharp response, telling TV20 that the city’s requirements “violate the spirit of the Governor’s Emergency Order 21-81 which prohibits vaccine passports and protects the fundamental rights and privacies of Floridians.”
“The policy also inhibits public participation in government proceedings that should be open and accessible to the public. Further, the policy violates Florida’s recently enacted law, SB 2006, effective July 1,” the statement read, calling on the City of Gainesville to “immediately cease to impose such discriminatory policies upon individuals.”
Feldman has continued to defend the city’s requirements, contending that they are well within their rights to implement such measures.
“Even if you follow the CDC guidelines, they are very clear that businesses and such can still require masks to come in,” Feldman argued. “We are looking at this as the proprietor of a building.”
“According to Feldman, the orange sticker policy was for one day, and city leaders aim to return to full operations without restrictions by July 6th,” the outlet reported.
Earlier this month, the Republican governor signed legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 2006, banning the use of vaccine passports in the Sunshine State.
“The legislation codifies the prohibition of COVID-19 vaccine passports,” his office said in a summary. “Governor DeSantis enacted this prohibition through an executive order last month, blocking any business or government entity from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination.”
“In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision,” DeSantis stated: