MANATEE COUNTY, FL (April 17, 2020) – Manatee County Commissioners today extended a local resolution and curfew until at least Tuesday, April 21. The Board will take up the curfew again at its regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Sheriff Rick Wells said his deputies will continue to implement the Governor's Executive Order that limit non-essential trips around the community. Later Wells added that regardless of the curfew decision, Manatee Sheriff's Office deputies will "continue to educate and help people comply" with the Governor's Executive Order while it exists.
"Two weeks ago I told you we’d enforce the Governor's Executive Order and we would not deviate from that," Wells said. "(The order) says all persons in Florida shall limit their movement and personal interaction outside of their homes to only those trips necessary to conduct essential activities."
Public Safety Director Jacob Saur shared statistics today that illustrate local measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus are working to help first responders. EMS calls are down 40 percent from the same period last year. The Sheriff's Office has seen a 15 percent decrease in calls for service.
"Those decreases have created the relief we needed over the past week, as EMS has been at the forefront of the response to nursing homes and COVID-19 patients," Saur said.
Today's meeting can be viewed on demand on the County's YouTube channel and it will re-air periodically on Manatee Government Access (MGA) Spectrum channel 644, Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channel 20.
The supplemental emergency resolution today extends a temporary local curfew and provides local law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce group gathering restrictions on public property, in conjunction with Governor DeSantis' Executive Order 20-91 & 20-92.
Members of the public may submit comments to the Board in advance of Tuesday's meeting here. They may also deliver your comments in person to Commissioners during the meeting in the first floor Patricia M. Glass County Commission Chambers of the Manatee County Administrative Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. If you choose this option, you must adhere to the CDC's social distancing guidelines.
View the latest on Manatee County's community-wide effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by visiting www.mymanatee.org/COVID-19
or text ManateeReady to 888-777. For more information on Manatee County Government, visit www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.