A mandatory mask order in the city of Sarasota will end later this month. The Herald Tribune reports, city commissioners voted this week not to further extend an emergency order requiring mask wearing for another 60 days. That means Sarasota's mask mandate will end Feb. 25.
The vote comes against the advice of local medical experts with the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Instead, city commissioners voted unanimously to have a resolution drafted that would encourage people to wear masks, similar to what's been adopted by Sarasota County Commissioners.
Collier County has a mask mandate in effect through high season until April 13. Lee County has no mask mandate.
Enforcement of the mask mandates statewide remains difficult because of an executive order issued by Governor Ron DeSantis in October that prevents local governments from imposing fines on people who violate a mask order. DeSantis' order does not prevent local municipalities from imposing fines on businesses that violate local mask mandates.
