On Wednesday, Florida Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-65, a clemancy order regarding remission of fines imposed on businesses for COVID-related violations.
The Board of Executive Clemency approved the Governor’s proposal to categorically remit all fines related to local government COVID-19 restrictions.
Section 1 of the order states, “I hereby remit any fines imposed between March 1, 2020, and March 10, 2021, by any political subdivision of Florida related to local government COVID-19 restrictions.”
The order is, “a categorical, statewide remission of fines related to COVID-19 restrictions is warranted in light of the unprecedented local government restrictions imposed on individuals and businesses over the course of the past year.”
“As Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me under Article IV, Section 8(a) of the Florida Constitution, promulgate the following Executive Order,” said DeSantis
“I hereby remit any fines imposed between March 1, 2020, and March 10, 2021, by any political subdivision of Florida related to local government COVID-19 restrictions.”
This Executive Order remits the fines described in Section 1 for individuals and businesses alike. The order shall serve as a defense to the collection of the fines described in Section 1, according to the document.
The order does not remit any fines imposed on assisted living facilities, hospitals, or other healthcare providers, or does it cover orders enforced by the State.
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