Ron DeSantis of Florida said on Wednesday that he would pardon “any Floridian” who violated mask or social distancing mandates. Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, made the announcement during an appearance on the Fox News program “Ingraham Angle.” After the show’s host, Laura Ingraham, interviewed the owners of a Broward County gym who said they had been arrested for violating a county mask mandate, Mr. DeSantis said their case was “a total overreach.”He said he would issue a reprieve to delay the case and that when the state’s clemency board meets on June 16, he would issue pardons not only for the business owners, Mike and Jillian Carnevale, but also for “any Floridian that may have outstanding infractions for things like masks or social distancing.”“I think they’ve been treated poorly,” he said. “Fortunately, they got a governor that cares.”In an executive order issued on Thursday, Mr. DeSantis granted a “categorical, statewide, 60-day reprieve for any individual or business that has been or could be” prosecuted for violating local Covid-19 restrictions. He also said in the order that at the clemency board meeting, he would propose a statewide pardon for those individuals or businesses.

Source: New York Times May 13, 2021 22:11 UTC