Florida Gov. DeSantis to override school mask orders: ‘There will be no mandates in Florida’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intends to sign an executive order essentially overriding a recently imposed mask mandate in schools within a South Florida county, while promoting the use of “common sense.”

The move would allow parents to ignore any coronavirus mask mandates in Broward schools, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday.

“If you listen to some of the stuff that’s being percolated around the CDC, there’s a movement to try to impose more restrictions on the American people,” DeSantis said Friday at a largely unmasked event, according to the paper. “And I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or mandates in the state of Florida.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removes his mask to answer questions during a press conference at Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital in Longwood, Fla., Monday, Jan. 4. (Joe Burbank/)

The news follows the Broward School Board’s decision Wednesday to enact a mask mandate, following the CDC and American Association of Pediatrics’ recommendation to mask up in schools regardless of vaccination status, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

DeSantis expressed his intentions following a high of 17,589 new cases in Florida Wednesday, a massive uptick in The Sunshine State’s case numbers last seen with the January post-holiday surge, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

The last month alone has led to a 1,780% increase in new cases in Florida.

Joann Marcus of Fort Lauderdale, left, cheers as she listens to the Broward School Board's emergency meeting, Wednesday, July 28, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A small but vocal group spoke vehemently against masks, saying their personal rights were being eroded and their children were suffering socially. (Marta Lavandier/)

The polarizing governor said he has the ability to issue an emergency rule “protecting the rights of parents to make this decision about wearing masks for their children,” thanks to the Parents Bill of Rights he signed into law in June, but similarly won’t bar parents from masking up their kids, according to the paper.

DeSantis, according to the paper, insisted that people not “get spun up about” mild or asymptomatic cases and “use common sense” when it comes to the CDC’s data on the more transmissible delta variant.

“I’ve heard overwhelmingly from parents, students and educators throughout Broward County thanking the board for continuing or masking policy,” School Board member Sarah Leonardi told the paper.

While DeSantis can override the mandate, she said doing so “will disappoint a lot of constituents” and likely lead to an uptick of cases in and out of the classroom.

School Board member Debbi Hixon expressed a similar stance, noting an emergency rule barring mask mandates would see the board change their policy.

“I am not looking to defy the governor. I believe it is an irresponsible decision,” Hixon told the paper. “But if it is the law, I will agree to follow it.”