OCALA, Fla. — As businesses reopen, some restaurant owners trying to determine how many people they can serve inside at one time have reached out to Ocala Fire Recue for help.
Fire officials are assisting restaurateurs in calculating 25% of the capacity of their dining rooms which would permit adequate space between tables.
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Customers at Pi on Broadway in downtown Ocala were excited to be out of the house Monday.
"Unbelievable. We've been indoors for two months, so there is nothing better,” Teresa Keane said. “Look, I didn't sleep last night, waiting to come here to get out.”
Part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order on reopening the state allows restaurants to serve up their dishes to customers on outdoor patios and inside restaurants, but indoor seating must be at 25% capacity.
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Ocala Fire Rescue officials said Pi on Broadway was one of the businesses that reach out to them about the governors’ order.
"We were able to pull up their square footage and based on that and the best information we have,” Capt. Anthony Ortiz, with Ocala Fire Rescue said. “We put together a spread sheet for all the businesses."
Fire officials said they were not surprised that businesses weren’t aware of their capacity, because not all business are required to post the number.
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