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TAMPA, Fla – Tampa Mayor Jane Castor expressed frustration Monday with people breaking her executive order for masks to be worn in certain areas outside the city. The city handed out more than 200,000 masks, and yet places such as Ybor City were filled with maskless crowds of revelers and spectators during the Super Bowl festivities on the weekend.
“It’s a little frustrating because we worked so hard cooperatively with the NFL and the county and just a number of different entities, putting in place the executive order that masks were to be worn in specific areas. where we knew groups would come together, ”said Castor, the former Tampa police chief.
These areas included outdoor areas near Raymond James Stadium, downtown Tampa, and in the entertainment districts, including Ybor City, the Channel District (Channelside), and the Central Business District. The ordinance remains in effect until February 13. This was in addition to the fact that the NFL required masks to be worn at all times inside stadium and NFL events unless actively eating or drinking.
Before the Super Bowl, masks were only needed indoors. As of September 25, as part of the state’s Phase 3 plan to reopen that allowed bars and restaurants to open at 100% capacity, Florida Governor Ron Desantis banned localities to collect fines against people not wearing masks. Castor disagreed with the governor on this point, believing that local municipalities should determine the most appropriate rules for their towns and counties. She had also disagreed with the governor over reopening bars and brasseries.
Some local jurisdictions, like Miami – the state’s epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic – have fought DeSantis over it, but DeSantis has signed an executive order prohibiting local governments from collecting fines from individuals, though businesses private individuals have the right to refuse service to those who do not wear masks. But some believe that the leadership above Castor, along with a “vacationer mentality,” made Castor’s job more difficult.
“Yeah, we’ve seen the videos,” Castor said. “We saw people who were not wearing masks. And at this point, when it comes to COVID-19, there’s a level of frustration when you see that. This can be passed on to the people who are least likely to safely collect it. “
Still, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised the city on Monday for putting together what the league saw as a safe Super Bowl, calling it an “extraordinary effort” to host the event. Events that were sanctioned by the NFL, including the NFL experience, which moved outside, and the fireworks display along the Riverwalk, were well respected.
“Really the advantage is that the majority of people have understood the importance of wearing a mask,” Castor said. “They also understood their level of personal responsibility, and we couldn’t have been successful without it.”
“At this event a year ago, I don’t think any of us would have imagined the challenges we’re going to have to face,” said Goodell. “The positive attitude of the people here [the Super Bowl LV host committee, Castor and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan] and so many others behind them – it was truly an extraordinary effort. We always say, “It’s a team game”. It was a great team here. They really found a way to find solutions to tough problems and really showed that this community is a “can do” community that can make things happen. “
But hatchbacks around the stadium, malls, concerts, bars and non-NFL-affiliated clubs have seen issues.
Tom DeGeorge, owner of Crowbar, a live music, concert and events venue in Ybor City, has expressed frustration with other businesses in his neighborhood not honoring orders. He saw how the NFL and the city went to great lengths in the Super Bowl Sunday production and the NFL experience, but he wishes local businesses could have received more help cracking down on the violations and manage the crowds, whereas he considers that it was insufficient despite an increased police presence.
“For months you have businesses in the region saying to themselves, ‘What are we going to do with the increased traffic spillover in our neighborhood to keep our people safe? and it’s not really fixed, it’s a problem, ”DeGeorge said, adding that he had seen a number of local businesses violate ordinances, such as allowing dance floors and putting money into above security. “You have to keep so many people out. We can’t pretend that these issues go away, that when you have neighborhoods like Ybor and special events come to town, we won’t be placed in a situation where all of our health is in danger. “
“These places were crowded, these people made a lot of money, and I just think it’s really, really unfair to everyone,” DeGeorge said. “I just think that as a city, the story we wanted to publish and the way we wanted to present it wasn’t necessarily what really happened here. And I think it’s a shame that we are more concerned with public relations than we are about really taking care of our communities and the people who live here. It’s very unfortunate. And it will happen again when Wrestlemania returns. “
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