Bars in Florida Can Reopen Starting Friday — Except in South Florida

Today Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a press conference that the state will move into phase two of its reopening plan, which includes bars, starting this Friday, June 5. However, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties are excluded from the phase two plans for now. Throughout the state, bars have been closed throughout the state since late March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Open bars must remain at 50 percent indoor capacity, but can have full outdoor seating as long as customers are seated and “appropriate social distancing and sanitation protocols,” are used, according to DeSantis. Also allowed in phase two reopening are movie theaters, bowling alleys, tattoo shops, and tanning parlors, however South Florida is excluded from this as well. Retail is allowed to reopen to full capacity, but restaurants will continue to operate at 50 percent capacity as they are in phase one.

No word on when South Florida will allow bars to reopen, as DeSantis has given the three counties stricter guidelines as the majority of the state’s COVID-19 cases have come from the area. Last month, South Florida eateries began reopening two to three weeks after the rest of the state was allowed to. In the plan DeSantis said Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach may seek approval to enter phase two with a written request from the county mayor or administrator.

As of today, there have been 58,764 confirmed cases in the state of Florida with 2,566 deaths.

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