Dear Members,
I wanted to take a moment to share the latest with you on the Coronavirus.
As it relates to our industry, here’s where we are:
1. Current DBPR Emergency Order
The DBPR has issued Emergency Order 2020-01 which delays any licensure renewal for 30 days from the existing renewal deadline. Please advise your CAM’s accordingly.
2. Future Emergency or Executive Orders | “Essential Services”
Some of you have asked if our CAM’s can be classified as “Essential Services” should there be an Executive Order restricting movement among Florida’s citizens. To clarify, there is no “shelter in place” statewide quarantine Order from the Governor, nor has one been issued by the President. Nevertheless, I have requested:
- That any future Governor Executive Order or DBPR Emergency Order classify our CAM’s as “essential services” so that we might disseminate helpful information and continue our services to our Associations to prevent any spread of the virus in coordination with state and local authorities.
- Again, there is no current statewide Order in place to restrict movement to only “essential services”. If that should change, we will let you know ASAP.
As it relates to what impacts all of us, here are the current Executive Orders from the Governor, which are now in effect (in chronological order of most recent):
1. STATEWIDE: March 20 | Executive Order 20-72 | Elective Procedures. This Order:
- Expires May 9, 2020 (per Order #20-52) unless extended.
- Prohibits unnecessary, non-life threatening elective surgeries and services.
2. STATEWIDE: March 20 | Executive Order 20-71 | Alcohol Sales, Restaurants and Gyms. This Order:
- Suspends sales of on-premise consumption of alcohol in all Florida bars and nightclubs. Sale of sealed containers for off-premise consumption permitted;
- Suspends on-premise consumption of food and drink in all Florida restaurants. Deliveries and carry-outs are permitted;
- Closes all Florida Gyms and Fitness Centers. This does not apply to fitness centers inside hotels or residential buildings.
- Supersedes Order 20-68 (see below), which had restricted restaurants to 50% capacity.
- Expires May 9, 2020 (per Order 20-52) unless extended.
3. COUNTY SPECIFIC: March 20 | Executive Order 20-70 | Palm Beach and Broward County Closures. This Order:
- Closes ALL restaurants, bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gymnasiums, fitness studios and beaches in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
- Exceeds the closures mentioned in the previous 2 statewide Orders for these 2 counties only.
- Expires March 31, 2020 but may be renewed upon request of each County’s Administrator.
4. STATEWIDE: March 20 | Executive Order 20-69 | Local Government Meetings. This Order:
- Suspends the requirement that a physical, in-person quorum be required to conduct a local government meeting.
- Authorizes local governments to utilize technology in place of in-person attendance to conduct meetings.
- Expires May 9 (per Order 20-52) unless extended.
5. STATEWIDE: March 17 | Executive Order 20-68 | Bars, Beaches and Restaurants. **Because Executive Order 20-71 (#2 above) supersedes this Order re: Bars and Restaurants, this Order now applies only to Beaches.** Therefore, as it pertains to Beaches, this Order:
- Limits public gatherings on Florida Beaches to no more than 10 people
- Expires on April 17, unless extended.
- Note: Most Florida beach communities have completely closed their beaches.
6. STATEWIDE: March 9 | Executive Order 20-52 | Public Health Emergency. This Order:
- Declares a State of Emergency in Florida and more generally governs and authorizes all the previous Orders that specify a particular industry, service or prohibition.
- Authorizes the Governor to use a broad range of emergency powers to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
- Authorizes public funds to be redirected, as needed, for uses that pertain to stopping the Coronavirus.
- Expires May 9 and applies to all previous Orders, which reference this expiration date. This expiration may be extended. If so, we will let you know.
Please feel free to share this information with your Boards and Managers. If I hear anything about future Executive Orders, especially those which would attempt to define “essential services” and those personnel authorized to provide those services, I will let you know.
For now, that’s where we are.
Sincerely Your Executive Director and Lobbyist,
Mark Anderson