Miami Dade Mayor Moves Nightly Curfew to Midnight

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced last week that he is moving Miami’s nightly curfew from 11 p.m. to midnight, which went officially into effect on October 12. The curfew remains in place until 6 a.m. daily.

The curfew has been in place since March 12 to “safeguard life and health, as parties and gatherings late at night have the potential to spread COVID-19” according to the order. It has been amended a few times to loosen and strengthen the restrictions over the past six months depending on the number of positive coronavirus cases in the county — sometimes even causing confusion amongst restaurant owners about sudden last-minute shifts.

The City of Miami went a step further with its commission voting to loosen its regulations on dining within city limits allowing for restaurants to be seated at 100 percent capacity if six feet between tables can still be in place, without having to supply an occupancy plan for approval, unlike the rest of the county. It also allows for group of ten to sit at a table, an increase from the limit of 6 which has been in place for months.

This is the latest wave of reopenings for the hospitality industry in Florida since late September when Governor Ron DeSantis in a surprise announcement declared that all businesses must be allowed to reopen, including bars, nightclubs, and lounges — all of which had been closed since March. As of yesterday, Florida reported 1,533 more positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 736,024 cases since the pandemic began.

• Florida Bars Are Allowed To Reopen Again, But Not In Miami [EMIA]
• Miami-Dade Mayor Ends Indoor Dining Ban Starting August 31 [EMIA]
• Outdoor Dining is Allowed at Miami-Dade County Restaurants After Mayor Reverses Previous Order [EMIA]
• Miami-Dade Mayor Announces New Nightly Curfew, Makes Face Masks Mandatory While Dining [EMIA]
• Tracking Coronavirus’s Impact on the South Florida Food World [EMIA]
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