St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has reiterated his call for Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue a statewide stay at home order.
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The comments followed the governor's executive order Monday asking residents of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties to stay at home as much as possible until mid-April.
Kriseman said Florida would be better equipped to stop the spread of the coronavirus if the directive applied to all of the state's 67 counties.
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"The short term economic pain it will cause is worth the lives it will save and will actually help our economy recover more quickly in the long run term,” he said.
Kriseman also noted that even though he and former Gov. Rick Scott disagreed on many issues, Scott always picked up the phone during emergencies.
Kriseman said to date, he has not heard from DeSantis about the current public health emergency.
Kriseman also joined the U.S. Conference of Mayors in calling for President Trump to enforce the Defense Production Act to help combat the outbreak.
“My fellow mayors remain focused on the worst public health crisis our nation has faced in recent memory. Cities around the nation are facing shortages when it comes to necessary equipment and supplies to safeguard our first responders and residents,” Kriseman said in a statement. “Now is the time for politicians in Washington to lead. I echo the call from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for the President to do just that by fully enforcing the Defense Production Act.”
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