With an executive order from Governor Ron DeSantis issued Friday, restaurants in Florida can no longer allow patrons to dine in.
Executive Order No. 20-71 states restaurants are allowed to stay open and offer takeout and delivery options for customers but, effective immediately, on-site food and alcohol consumption isn’t permitted.
The move came just one day after the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group voted to continue allowing area restaurants to keep their dining rooms open at 50 percent capacity. Plant City Mayor Rick Lott fought for the restaurants’ right to remain open with limited seating. Lott told the EPG one business he talked to said it was in the process of getting takeout boxes and other supplies to eventually make the switch, but that the supplies hadn’t arrived yet and it could be forced to close indefinitely if the ordinance changed before the shipments arrived.
However, DeSantis also ordered to lift the state’s ban on take-out and delivery sales of alcohol.
Standalone gyms and fitness centers — which does not include hotel gyms with capacities of 10 or fewer people, residential building amenities, office fitness centers or gyms in fire and police stations — have been ordered to close their doors immediately if they haven’t already done so.
The full executive order is viewable at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6816193/DeSantis-EO-20-71-Closing-Restaurants.pdf.