Failure to comply with Miami-Dade County's Declaration of a Local State of Emergency is a criminal offense

Earlier today, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez signed an executive order to close all on-site services at restaurants, bars, gyms and entertainment venues throughout the County in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). This order takes effective at 11 p.m. on Tuesday March 17, 2020.

“This is not a measure that I am taking without grave concern for all the workers and businesses that are being impacted,” Mayor Gimenez said. “The only way to get ahead of COVID-19 and stop the spread of this virus is by taking some very extraordinary actions.”

Officers may charge Florida Statutes Section 252.50, Penalties, a second degree misdemeanor, should an individual fail to obey the Emergency Order(s). 

The County’s goal is to inform our community and encourage voluntary compliance before resorting to arrest.  

This emergency order applies to all restaurants, bars, taverns, pubs, lounges, night clubs, banquet halls, cocktail lounges, cabarets, breweries, cafeterias, and alcohol and food service businesses with seating for more than eight people in Miami-Dade County.

Kitchens will remain open for pick-up and delivery services.

These closures do not apply to essential services such as grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations or convenience stores. However, seating areas in these businesses will be closed.

This order also applies to all gyms and fitness centers, except those gyms that have a capacity for 10 or fewer people or that are part of a residential building or police or fire station.

For the most recent updates on the situation, go to miamidade.gov/coronavirus.