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City will start to allow more gatherings next week, but warns violence won’t be tolerated

Jaymi Butler

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Rick Kriseman
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman said the Pinellas County's two-week rolling average for Covid cases is just over 3 percent, the lowest of the state's 10 most populated counties.

With St. Pete’s Covid-19 positivity rate remaining low, city operations will “largely return to normal” with libraries, recreation centers and municipal service offices reopening Oct. 5, Mayor Rick Kriseman said at a press conference Tuesday. 

The city will also begin to issue permits for both indoor and outdoor events. However, while events such as peaceful protests are welcome in St. Pete, Kriseman cautioned that any gathering that results in mayhem from either side will not be tolerated.

“Let me be clear about this. We are not a city that permits violent behavior or the destruction of property,” Kriseman said as St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway looked on. “If you destroy property or engage in violence, you’ll be arrested. This is a safe city and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Kriseman’s comments come on the heels of a tense week for St. Pete – and the country – after a grand jury announced only one officer would be charged in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky. Saturday night, that tension came to a head when two groups of opposing protestors squared off on Beach Drive and one man pulled a gun. Holloway said police are looking for three people – two who pulled out knives and the one with the gun – and that the investigation continues. 

“We’re not going to tolerate that in our city,” he said, adding that more officers will be out patrolling the streets to ensure things don’t get out of hand, especially over the weekend. “If you’re coming here to cause a problem, we will arrest you. If you’re coming here to peacefully protest, you have every right to do so.”

Kriseman stressed that the public, along with the business owners, must stay vigilant and involved in keeping the community safe and be prepared to press charges against anyone committing a crime against them.

“If you see something, say something,” he said. “We can’t have public safety if the public isn’t a partner.”

He also made a plea for kindness, understanding and compassion and encouraged people not to label entire groups based on the bad conduct of a few. 

“You can support or oppose without resorting to hateful words and baseless accusations,” he said. “We can’t allow anger, distrust, hatred, bigotry or racism to change who we are as a community.”

In terms of restaurants and bars being allowed to reopen at 100 percent capacity under last week’s executive order from Governor Ron DeSantis, Kriseman said that due to the lower numbers of positive cases, he’s not “necessarily concerned” as long as people stick with the precautions of social distancing and mask wearing, which is still required under the county ordinance enacted in June. 

“My biggest concern is confusion regarding the governor’s order that may lead people to believe they don’t have to wear a mask,” he said. “They do.”

Business owners should think of their own comfort level when deciding if they want to reopen at full capacity, Kriseman added, and he reiterated they have the right to refuse entry or service to anyone who’s not wearing a mask the same way they would for someone not wearing a shirt or shoes. 

“Their business, their rules,” he said. “But the face covering requirement remains in place here in St. Pete and throughout Pinellas County.”

Kriseman said he will issue a new order that emphasizes mitigation plans reflecting provisions of the county ordinance, including requiring masks for operators, employees and patrons. Businesses hosting private events will also be required to take reasonable efforts to ensure their patrons are following the rules. Those who don’t could end up receiving a municipal ordinance violation, he said. 

For now, Kriseman is looking forward to the city beginning to hold events again. A food truck rally will be held soon on the west side of St. Pete, and the Come Out St. Pete street festival, sans parade, will be held Oct. 17. He’s also working with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, scheduled for Oct. 23-25 to allow a limited number of fans to attend, and said final decisions will be made later this week. 

Everything, however, is incumbent on people continuing to follow the measures that have kept St. Pete’s numbers low. If the average starts to tick up again, he said, city leaders will reevaluate and likely have to revert to tighter restrictions.

 “Allowing activities to continue in St. Pete while continuing to attack Covid-19 and wait for better treatment and a vaccine – it’s a lot like a dial,” he said. “You dial it back. You dial it forward. It really depends on what the data is telling us. The alternative is screeching our county and our economy to a halt, and to us that is not a good alternative.”

 

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1 Comment

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    Susan

    September 30, 2020at4:14 pm

    Good information by mayor

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