Florida governor Ron DeSantis announces pardons for Covid rule breakers

‘Fortunately they got a governor that cares,’ says GOP figurehead of gym owners facing jail terms

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has announced a statewide reprieve for anybody facing fines or jail terms for breaking Covid regulations in the state.

The GOP figurehead, and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, did not introduce a state order on face coverings, but Florida’s counties and municipality, as well as firms, were able to do so.

Talking with a couple who were facing jail terms for breaking rules on face coverings in Broward County, Mr DeSantis told Fox News viewers on Wednesday that a reprieve was coming into force from Thursday, with full pardons for all Floridians in the coming weeks.

“[I’m] glad to be on to be able to say that effect tomorrow morning, I’m gonna sign a reprieve, under my constitutional authority,” said the governor.

“So that will delay the case for 60 days for both of them, and then when our clemency board meets in the coming weeks, we’ll issue pardons not just for Mike and Jillian, but for any Floridan that may have outstanding infractions for things like masks and social distancing.”

The announcement by Mr DeSantis came after Mike and Jillian Carnevale, a gym owning couple from Broward County, were arrested for not enforcing face covering rules in July and August of last year.

Cory Strolla, a lawyer for the Carnevales, told Fox News that “the only resolution they [a judge] would approve is a 10 day jail sentence for Mike, and that was before Jillian’s case was transferred”.

“So the way Broward state charged it, Mike is actually facing two second degree misdemeanours with a total of 120 days in jail, and Jillian is facing one with a total of 60 days in jail,” said Mr Strolla.

Mr DeSantis continued by challenging the rules on face coverings for exercise, in reference to recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The fact is, it’s not even right to be wearing masks when you’re exercising. The WHO advises against it, it’s not healthy for people to be doing that in the first place so it was a bad restriction,” said the governor, “[it] should be advisory and not punitive and so we’re happy to use our constitutional authority”.

Florida, among the first states to end all forms of Covid restrictions in March, is the third worst for infections in the US, with over 2.9m cases, and 35,000 fatalities.