Democratic Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said maskless “bad actors” who partied after the Super Bowl should be “identified,” but photos have since surfaced online of Castor maskless at a sports event during the ongoing pandemic.
After Castor told reporters that “those few bad actors [who didn’t wear masks] will be identified and the Tampa Police Department will handle it,” an image circulated on Twitter purporting to show Castor maskless while celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup. (RELATED: ‘How The Hell Am I Going To Drink A Beer’: Ron DeSantis Defends Being Maskless At Super Bowl)
Mayor of Tampa will be prosecuting maskless fans from the Super Bowl. Yet…. pic.twitter.com/rL5LnkyCiY
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) February 9, 2021
Although that image is not time-stamped, a tweet from Castor sent on Sept. 30 shows her on stage, again maskless, with players celebrating the Lightning’s championship. Castor appears to be wearing the same clothes in the television screenshot that has begun circulating and in the official tweet.
Congratulations, @TBLightning! This is an incredible day for Tampa Bay – we could not be more proud. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ The Bolts are Stanley Cup Champions!!! #2020Playoffs #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/5wtM7vOzLU
— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) October 1, 2020
Castor instituted a mask mandate for the City of Tampa on June 19, 2020. However, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in September that he would not allow local governments to enforce mask mandates with fines.
Castor’s office told the Daily Caller that she was not referring to individuals who partied without masks as “bad actors” who would then be investigated by local police, but to those “who destroyed street signs and property during Super Bowl celebrations.”
However, in a public video of the press conference in question, her remark that “bad actors” would be identified and pursued by local police appears to be in response to a reporter asking for comment on “the fact that officers had to disperse really large crowds that were not wearing masks.”
Castor’s office also noted that her maskless appearance at the Lightning celebration was before she introduced the mandate requiring masks to be worn outdoors.