DeSantis orders New Orleans visitor quarantines, suspends vacation rentals, supports moratorium on evictions
People from New Orleans traveling to Florida will be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days, under a new order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis announced during a Friday afternoon news conference that he would be adding that requirement to an earlier order that mandates visitors from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut self-quarantine for 14 days, in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus.
He’s also authorizing the use of checkpoints on Florida roads to ensure compliance with the order.
Once again, DeSantis did not call for a statewide stay at home order, despite pleas from several mayors, including St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, to do so. DeSantis instead cited President Trump, who has said different areas of the country are impacted in different ways.
“That’s been the approach I’ve taken in Florida from the beginning. I think that tailored approach makes a lot of sense,” DeSantis said. “That shows Florida led the way in doing it in a way that made sense for all our communities to win the fight.”
In addition to the self-quarantine order for New Orleans visitors, DeSantis announced several other orders and updates.
• Suspending new vacation rentals for two weeks.
• Directing the Department of Children and Families to submit a federal waiver to temporarily increase SNAP recipients benefit amounts to the maximum monthly allotment. Benefits for a family of four would increase from $449 a month to $509 a month
• Directing the Florida Department of Revenue to delay property taxes and sales and uses taxes for businesses adversely impacted by Covid-19. Property taxes would now be due April 15, and sales and use taxes due April 30.
• Expanding state-run drive-thru testing to Palm Beach County and pushing out more test supplies. Hillsborough County is in line for 1,000 test swabs, DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said he supports a moratorium on evictions. The Florida Supreme Court earlier this week issued a ruling on several court proceedings but DeSantis said he hasn’t yet reviewed it.
“If that’s not clear enough and I need to do something I’ll definitely take a look at it,” DeSantis said.
Msru Turgeon
March 27, 2020at4:05 pm
Get with it DeSantis. Following Trump is not the way to go in FL SHUT IT Down before it is to late
Brad Banks
March 27, 2020at3:32 pm
Along with a moratorium on evictions and vacation rentals how about a moratorium on Landlord’s property taxes management cost mortgage payments insurance payments maintenance costs… Where do you think a small landlord who owns three or four houses is going to get the money to pay all OUR bills?