Last week, amid spiking coronavirus cases, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announced new stricter crackdowns for local businesses who fail to enforce local social distancing and mask mandates, and now eight bars more were hit with fines over the weekend.
A total of 114 businesses were visited by inspectors over the weekend, says Marketing and Communications Director Ashley Bauman to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Of those, seven were cited and hit with $150 fines, and a repeat offender was hit with a $300 fine.
On Friday, between 10:11 p.m.-11:50 p.m., 49 businesses were visited and three $150 citations were made, those businesses include South Tampa’s Yard of Ale (no masks, no social distancing, crowded dance floor), and Ybor City’ Qvesoir (no masks), and West Ybor Barterhouse (no mask).
Then on Saturday, inspectors visited 65 businesses between 10:46 p.m.-12:26 a.m., and four $150 citations were issued. Those businesses include downtown Tampa’s Dio Modern Med (no masks, employees and patrons), Ybor City’s 7th + Grove (no masks, and standing at the bar), Tangra (no masks and no social distance), La Herencia De Ybor (no masks, employees and patrons). Ybor Cigars Plus, which includes Mojito House, was hit with a second $300 citation.
Last Thursday, the first day the citations went into effect, Ybor Cigars Plus/Mojito House along with three other bars were hit with $150 citations, including MacDinton's in South Tampa, and Ybor City's King Corona and The Purple Heart.
No inspections were performed on Sunday.
The stricter fines and citations come after Tampa Bay leaders, including Castor, pledged a more unified crackdown on businesses who ignore social distancing and mask mandates.
In a Thursday Zoom call, Castor stated that the City of Tampa would begin sending out officials to enforce the city’s mask mandates and social distancing regulations at local businesses, as well a recent Hillsborough County ordinance banning packed dance floors, and loitering at bars and restaurants.
While individuals can’t be fined, Tampa businesses can, and those that don’t enforce these rules can receive a civil citation and a fine up to $500, or a second degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500.
Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties now have similar COVID-19 restrictions in place. Both counties require masks to be worn indoors at businesses, and only allow patrons to remove masks when seated. Also, both counties now ban congregating on dance floors.
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This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2020.