ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Mayor Jerry Demings has released a statement in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to suspend local coronavirus emergency orders on Monday.
“In review of the governor’s executive orders, I am not surprised,” Demings wrote. “I conclude that his actions are part of a larger partisan strategy. We expect better from the governor of Florida.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he has suspended all local government emergency orders related to COVID-19 effective immediately.
READ: DeSantis suspends all local coronavirus emergency orders effective immediately
DeSantis made the announcement in St. Petersburg on Monday morning.
“We’re no longer in a state of emergency,” DeSantis said Monday, a week after he extended the state of emergency in Florida by 60 days.
READ: Orange County sees decrease in daily COVID-19 deaths since vaccinations started
He said he’s using his executive power to suspend all local government emergency orders until a bill goes into effect on July 1 invalidating all remaining local coronavirus emergency orders.
During the weekly Orange County news conference on Monday, Demings declined to comment on the order until he read it himself.
READ: Florida COVID-19 death toll tops 36,000 as governor blocks local mask mandates