Most Florida bars can open on Friday, with limits
June 3, 2020 - Bars and pubs in most of Florida can open Friday at 50 percent of their indoor capacity and outdoor seating with appropriate social distancing, under Phase Two of a plan to reopen Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the move to Phase Two at a news conference at Universal Orlando today. He also issued an executive order outlining specific business operations. In addition to limited bar openings, restaurants can offer bar-top seating with appropriate social distancing. Entertainment venues such as movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys and arcades can operate at 50 percent of building capacity. Retail establishments and gyms can operate at full capacity with social distancing and sanitization protocols. Most personal services businesses can operate as long as they adhere to guidance from the Florida Department of Health. Pari-mutuel facilities can submit a request to open to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Phase Two guidance also says Floridians are encouraged to avoid congregating in groups larger than 50, an increase from Phase One. Phase Two does not currently apply to three south Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, which were hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak.