Some policies are just too controversial to stick.
Manatee County commissioners voted 4-3 April 21 to lift a countywide 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew first enacted April 3 to combat the spread of COVID-19 by bolstering Gov. Ron DeSantis’ safer-at-home order.
Commissioners Priscilla Trace, Vanessa Baugh, Betsy Benac and Stephen Jonsson — who represents Anna Maria Island — voted to rescind the curfew.
Commissioners Carol Whitmore, Misty Servia and Reggie Bellamy voted against the motion.
The motion came as the novel coronavirus, transferred through person-to-person contact and airborne droplets, continued to spread. In the county April 26, 506 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported by the state health department.
Manatee County public safety director Jacob Saur, who requested commissioners extend the curfew for another seven days, said the restriction on personal movement lightened the workload for first responders, allowing them to focus on handling the pandemic.
Saur had presented statistics at other meetings showing a drop in motor vehicle crashes and call volume for emergency medical services while the curfew was in place.
However, he said April 21 that the declines could be attributed to DeSantis’ executive order, enacted the day before the county enforced its curfew.
“We’ve talked about how the curfew has reduced EMS calls, vehicle crashes and (the sheriff’s) law enforcement responses to calls during curfew hours. None of that data has changed,” Saur said. “Now, whether that data is down because they’ve either heeded the message of the governor and our curfew, or it’s because of the curfew itself, the data isn’t going to point to any of that.”
Regardless, Saur said the county faced an uphill battle in dealing with the coronavirus. He said the state’s confirmed cases were beginning to flatten while the county’s case number continued to rise.
Trace, who motioned to lift the curfew, said she expected DeSantis soon would reopen the state. The governor announced April 20 the organization of a “Re-Open Florida Task Force.”
“I think it’s pretty apparent that the governor is opening up the state, probably next week,” Trace said. “I think we’ve accomplished all we can with the curfew.”
During public comment, Dr. Werther Marciales from Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton told commissioners the curfew — which he supported at three other commission meetings — helped inform the public, but was not essential.
“As long as we all keep social distancing, washing our hands and using masks in public, then we are going to be probably OK,” Marciales said.
But he encouraged more “public teaching,” stating that he had witnessed people disregard social distancing guidelines and gather in public.
Whitmore supported extending the curfew while the county created a plan for eventually easing restrictions. County orders have closed public buildings and beaches, as well as other recreational amenities.
Whitmore also said she was disappointed with the behavior of some who opposed the safety measures and were “accosting” county officials and medical experts.
“We’ve all got to calm down,” she said. “We’re not doing this because we want to. I’m doing this as a registered nurse and only for public safety.”
Servia said lifting the curfew might mislead people into believing the situation was improving.
“It is not the time to send the wrong message to the public,” she said.
Benac said she hoped people would respect the state safer-at-home order prohibiting nonessential travel and activity through April 30.
“People have got to respect the fact that we cannot be together,” Benac said. “We cannot congregate yet. …We need people to keep social distancing.”
She added, “If the governor releases everyone in the entire state, we are not like the rest of the state, so we may need to talk about (the curfew) again.”
For the record
Anna Maria Island officials responded to Manatee County commissioners’ decision to lift an overnight curfew to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ease the burden of first responders.
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said the curfew was not helpful because Holmes Beach had no issues with enforcing the state’s safer-at-home order at night.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said he failed to see how the curfew reinforced social distancing guidelines and the state order.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie said the city supported the countywide curfew, but that it had no impact on the municipality.
— Ryan Paice