Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-244 on Friday,  September 25, 2020, and transitioned the State to Phase 3 of the COVID-19 reopening process. Effective  upon issuance, the new Executive Order: 

• Removes state-level restrictions on businesses, such as restaurants.  
• Provides that no COVID-19 emergency ordinance may prevent an individual from working or  operating a business.  
• Provides that restaurants may not be limited by a COVID-19 emergency order by any local  government to less than 50% of their indoor capacity.  
• States that, if a restaurant is limited to less than 100% of its indoor capacity, such COVID-19 emergency order must satisfy the following:  
  • Quantify the economic impact of each limitation or requirements on those restaurants
  • Explain why each limitation or requirement is necessary for public health.  
• Suspends all outstanding fines and penalties, and the collection of such moving forward, applied against individuals related to COVID-19. 

Executive Order 20-244 supersedes and eliminates all restrictions of Executive Orders 20-112, 20-123 and  20-139, 20-192, 20-214, and 20-223, except as modified per the State.

Visit online to review Executive Order 20-244.