US

Miami-Dade County Declares $100 Fine For Anyone Without A Mask In Public

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Fiona Murchake Contributor
Font Size:

Miami-Dade County has announced a $100 fine for residents who fail to wear a mask in public spaces in an effort to enforce the county’s “New Normal Guidelines.”

“The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance sponsored by District 4 Commissioner Sally Heyman that makes failure to comply with Emergency Orders a civil offense, subject to a $100 fine,” said the county’s statement released Thursday. 

The ordinance is part of Miami-Dade’s “New Normal Guidelines,” which outlined the procedures residents and businesses must adhere to, including the mask requirement and closure of some restaurant, CNN reported. (RELATED: Florida Bans Alcohol Consumption At Bars Amid Record High Coronavirus Cases)

“This ordinance gives our County a new two-pronged approach to ensuring that everyone is following the New Normal rules so that we can more effectively tamp down the spread of COVID-19,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez in the statement.

Miami-Dade County has the largest population in Florida, and has a 33.5% coronavirus positivity rate, according to CNN.

Florida reported more than 11,400 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the state’s total to over 327,000, according to local outlet NBC 6 South Florida. Miami-Dade County reported 2,442 new cases Friday, bringing the county’s total to 77,867. (RELATED: Report: Florida Teachers Prepare Their Living Wills As Debate Over Schools Reopening Rages On)

Despite the spike in Florida’s case count, Governor Ron DeSantis has not enforced a state-wide mask mandate.

“Governor DeSantis believes in a bottom up decision making process and not from the top down,” the governor’s press office told Newsweek in a statement Thursday. “The needs of each community may differ, a cookie cutter approach does not work in a diverse state such as Florida, and he supports all local efforts to defeat this virus.”

Florida currently leads the United States with the most coronavirus cases per capita for the fifth consecutive day, at 55 cases per 100,000 people, CNN reported.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.