City mask requirements officially take effect

Sarasota officials hope an increased emphasis on face coverings — mandatory in the city, strongly encouraged in the county — will slow the spread of the coronavirus.

By David Conway
| 6:00 a.m. July 2, 2020

City Manager Tom Barwin speaks at a press conference to discuss new COVID-19 regulations and the city's plans to give out 50,000 masks to the public. Residents can get masks at City Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 2.

Sarasota
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If you’re outside of your home in the city of Sarasota and you can’t maintain at least 6 feet of separation from people around you, odds are, you’re now required to wear a mask.

New city regulations mandating the use of face coverings took effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, part of an ongoing effort regionally to combat rising COVID-19 case counts. The City Commission adopted an emergency ordinance outlining the mask requirements at a special meeting Monday, voting 4-1 to approve the measure.

Mask rules & exceptions

Want to know exactly where and when you have to wear a mask?

First, the requirements apply only in the city of Sarasota, though Sarasota County is strongly encouraging the public to wear masks. Within city limits, a face covering is mandatory only when at least 6 feet of distance from other people cannot be maintained.

Masks must be worn indoors in any location other than someone’s residence. That includes private businesses. The requirements extend to common areas within a multifamily housing complex, including lobbies and elevators. The requirement does not apply to hotel rooms or other rental accommodations not accessible to the public.

Masks must be worn outdoors in any public location. That means you have to have a mask if you’re walking by other people on the street, but you don’t need one in your backyard.

The mask ordinance also comes with a series of exceptions. In addition to any circumstances when social distancing is possible, masks are not required for:

People whose health would be negatively affected by the use of a mask;
People who are eating or drinking;
People inside cars, other than vehicles-for-hire; and
People at schools, day care facilities and properties under other governmental jurisdiction, all of which are empowered to implement their own safety regulations.

The regulations will not require the use of masks when individuals are only in close proximity to people living in the same household as them.

The penalty for noncompliance is a civil citation and fine of up to $500, with a $50 penalty if the individual does not contest the citation. The commission said its preference is to first issue a warning and a mask to individuals not following the ordinance. The board agreed to explore alternative nonmonetary penalties for violations at a future meeting.

More on the mask ordinance, including answers to FAQs, is available on the city's website.

The vote came as the number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 continued to rise locally. All five commissioners agreed some form of mask requirement made sense.

“I do believe the science and the facts are there for us to craft an ordinance,” Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie said.

Although some opponents critical of the regulations spoke at Monday’s meeting, city officials said the vast majority of public input supported a mask mandate. City Manager Tom Barwin said of the 320 calls the city received regarding the proposal, 281 were in favor of requiring face coverings. Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch estimated about 70% of the hundreds of emails she received asked the city to adopt requirements.

Several Sarasota restaurants have recently announced temporary closures related to COVID-19. Michael Klauber, owner of Michael’s On East and co-founder of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals restaurant group, said a mask requirement would help assure customers that officials were taking appropriate measures.

“I agree that it is critical to continue to reopen Sarasota, but for it to be successful, there needs to be a clear mandate that sends a message to our residents that we are serious about their safety,” Klauber wrote in a letter to the city.

On the rise

The rate and volume of new COVID-19 cases continues to generate concern from Sarasota’s medical community.

On Friday, the Florida Department of Health reported 106 new COVID-19 cases in Sarasota County, setting a one-day record. On Wednesday, the state added 119 new cases in Sarasota County.

Over the past week, lab results for Sarasota County residents have produced an average of 73 positive tests each day at a positivity rate of 8.3%. The week before, there was an average of 40.3 daily positive tests and a positivity rate of 6.6%. The week before that, the county averaged 13.6 cases daily, with 1.8% of all tests coming back positive.

On Tuesday, Sarasota Memorial Hospital reported 50 patients there were hospitalized with COVID-19. SMH President and CEO David Verinder said in a video Friday he believed the community should be concerned about local coronavirus trends. Verinder said the hospital saw positive developments in avoiding the spread of the disease in May, but more recently, there has been an uptick in COVID-19 patients.

Although the hospital said last week that its capacity is far from strained, Verinder noted it doesn’t take long for circumstances to change.

On Friday, the hospital began restricting most visitors from the facility except for special circumstances. To limit the spread of the virus, Verinder encouraged members of the public to adhere to health advisories, including social distancing and masks.

“I know they’re uncomfortable,” he said. “I know it’s hot outside. I know it’s something that we’re not all excited about. But, you know, just wear a mask.”