DeSantis reopens bars, movie theaters and concert halls in most of Florida after coronavirus shutdowns

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday reopened bars, movie theaters and other entertainment in 64 counties, announcing Florida’s move into Phase 2 of his three-step plan to restart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The changes go into effect Friday but don’t apply to the three hardest-hit counties in the state: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach in South Florida.

The move to Phase 2 also takes place as the state reported 1,317 new coronavirus cases and 36 more deaths Wednesday over the previous day, for a new total of 58,764 cases and 2,566 fatalities statewide.

DeSantis, speaking at the NBC Sports Grill & Brew at Universal City Walk to mark the Universal parks’ partial reopening, also praised reports that the NBA and Major League Soccer would be renewing their seasons with tournaments in Orlando. And he welcomed the possibility that Central Florida might be in the mix for the Republican National Convention.

Asked about protests raging throughout the state and nation, DeSantis said he was “appalled” by George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police, but he did not think any major police reforms were needed in Florida.

Under his executive order released Wednesday afternoon, bars will be able to open at 50% capacity indoors, and at full capacity outside with social distancing of 6 feet between tables.

Movie theaters, bowling alleys and concert halls can reopen for the first time since March at 50% capacity, with social-distancing restrictions as well. Some bowling alleys opened in May, as state guidelines were vague about the status of the facilities.

He said restaurants, retail and gyms would continue to operate at 50% capacity, as long as they have the room to practice social distancing. Restaurants will now be able to serve at bars with chairs at least 6 feet apart, but bars will only be allowed to serve at tables, he said.

“It’s going to be seated service, which is what I think I think Ohio did, and I think that that makes a lot of sense as we kind of just inch into Phase 2 and do it in a way that’s very, very measured,” he said.

Orlando Brewing president John Cheek responded by saying he was “extremely happy that we are now open. We’ve been making about 10% of what we should be making.”

Orlando Brewing will likely keep its capacity between 25% and 50%, as 50% would be 70 people, Cheek said.

“That’s a lot for us,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with how people feel.”

The brewery has been selling its craft beer to-go since DeSantis ordered all of the state’s bars closed on March 17, but Cheek said it began allowing customers to taste their beer inside when restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms. He described beer as “liquid bread.”

“If you can go into a restaurant, why can’t you walk into a brewery?” he argued. “What’s the difference other than food?”

Still, 80% of the brewery’s production goes to theme parks and hotels.

“We really won’t recover totally until Disney and Universal and all those people open back up,” Cheek said.

‘Virus isn’t gone’

DeSantis warned, however, that coronavirus is still a threat.

“The virus isn’t gone,” he said. “I think it’s really really important to continue to stress for people 65 or older … and/or with underlying medical conditions, [that they] are strongly encouraged to avoid crowds and to take measures to limit the risk of exposure.”

He also stressed the continued Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory to avoid groups larger than 50.

“Now, obviously, we see throughout the country groups much, much larger than that,” he said offhand, referring to the nationwide protests. “But this is the guidance.”

Sending help to D.C.

DeSantis opened the news conference by referencing “respectful gatherings of large crowds” but condemned “isolated incidents” of violent demonstrators resulting in arrests.

He said he would deploy 500 members of the Florida National Guard to Washington, D.C., to help with crowd control there as protests continue.

“The federal government’s helped out Florida on a number of different ways since I’ve been governor … and so when they had a request, I felt it was important to step up and help out,” he said.

DeSantis ticked off several incidents across Florida that resulted in arrests of people who damaged property and engaged in other violence during protests of Floyd’s death.

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DeSantis also defended Florida law enforcement methods and mostly focused on the specific circumstances of the Floyd case.

“When I saw the video of that cop murdering George Floyd, I was just absolutely appalled by what I saw,” DeSantis said.

Floyd died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee against the handcuffed black man’s neck as he cried that he couldn’t breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with murder, and three other officers on the scene were charged Wednesday as well.

“But I immediately asked folks at FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] and others, ‘How the hell did you get away with even doing that tactic?”‘ DeSantis said. “And sure enough, in the state of Florida, you do not put a knee on a neck like that. That is not good training.”

Told that Brevard County Sheriff’s Office does use the neck restraint method, DeSantis said “they should definitely look” at ending the practice. He also said officers should be held accountable if they rack up large numbers of complaints as Chauvin did.

“You do have some of these people who think they can get away with everything and they think that they can abuse [power], they think the badge gives them the ability to treat people poorly,” DeSantis said. “You’ve got to identify those people, and you’ve got to get them out.”

Republican convention

When asked about the Republican National Convention possibly being held in Florida, DeSantis said he’d welcome it but he’d have to look at the coronavirus numbers within the next few months.

The event in August has been scheduled for Charlotte, North Carolina, but Gov. Roy Cooper is asking for a scaled-down convention due to coronavirus concerns, prompting President Trump to threaten to move it.

“I think North Carolina approached it as saying, okay, it’s a default ‘No, and then maybe we’ll see,'” DeSantis said. “And my view would be it should be a default ‘Yes.’ And then as we get closer, you can make determinations about how you do it.”

DeSantis said the Amway Center was the “obvious place” due to the region’s hotel capacity, adding that Jacksonville and Miami-Dade were interested as well.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, however, threw some cold water on the idea during a county reopening task force meeting.

Demings, who controls the county’s enormous convention center, says he’d only consider it if he knew the county was going to recoup 100% of its costs.

DeSantis also praised plans for the NBA tournament at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.

“I don’t think you can find a better place than Orlando to do this,” he said. “I think it’s very exciting.”

Staff writer Jason Garcia contributed to this report.