Clearwater, Florida gym members are 100% FED Up! with the lockdown that is keeping gyms closed during the coronavirus crisis.
Several dozen gym members staged a protest outside at the Pinellas County Courthouse doing squats and push-ups during their time on the sidewalk. This protest is another sign like so many others across America that people want to manage their own personal safety.
GYM PROTEST: A group of protesters has gathered outside the courthouse in Clearwater, calling for gyms to reopen in Florida https://t.co/EreMMzfIYI pic.twitter.com/lfiB1TUf9B
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) May 11, 2020
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has kept gyms closed during Phase 1 of the reopening of the state of Florida. He plans on reopening gyms with restrictions when Phase 2 is implemented, but there isn’t a date for when that will be. A vague comment about Phase 2 says that it’s up to the governor to decide when the state reopens: “Once the governor determines it is suitable to continue reopening and after fully considering medical data in consultation with state health officials.”
Protesters calling for gyms to reopen do squats, push-ups outside Clearwater courthouse https://t.co/If5c9EQZMV pic.twitter.com/xAXkrPneM2
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) May 11, 2020
Governor DeSantis is a Republican but he has been very strict on certain businesses like gyms and rental homes that make up a huge part of the economy in Florida. The Panhandle of Florida has been especially hard hit. The rental home and the tourist industry have crashed since there has been a ban on renting. Homes dot the landscape all along the Florida Panhandle, and most are rented every year by families vacationing, but without a clear date for reopening from Governor DeSantis, cancellations from renters are going into July.