‘We expect better’: Orange County mayor responds to governor’s decision to suspend local coronavirus emergency orders

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Mayor Jerry Demings has released a statement in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to suspend local coronavirus emergency orders on Monday.

“In review of the governor’s executive orders, I am not surprised,” Demings wrote. “I conclude that his actions are part of a larger partisan strategy. We expect better from the governor of Florida.”

Read his full statement here.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he has suspended all local government emergency orders related to COVID-19 effective immediately.

READ: DeSantis suspends all local coronavirus emergency orders effective immediately

DeSantis made the announcement in St. Petersburg on Monday morning.

“We’re no longer in a state of emergency,” DeSantis said Monday, a week after he extended the state of emergency in Florida by 60 days.

READ: Orange County sees decrease in daily COVID-19 deaths since vaccinations started

He said he’s using his executive power to suspend all local government emergency orders until a bill goes into effect on July 1 invalidating all remaining local coronavirus emergency orders.

During the weekly Orange County news conference on Monday, Demings declined to comment on the order until he read it himself.

READ: Florida COVID-19 death toll tops 36,000 as governor blocks local mask mandates

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