Fort Myers votes no on mask mandate after raucous 5-hour 'circus' meeting

There is no mask mandate for the city of Fort Myers. 

Instead, city council decided to put the onus on local businesses to encourage employees and patrons to wear masks. 

City council voted on two motions after a five-hour meeting Thursday that was somewhat chaotic and plagued by technical issues as the public participated over Zoom, the teleconferencing program.

The city joined Cape Coral, Estero and Bonita Springs in opting out of a mask mandate. In Lee County, Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach, heavy tourist destinations, have opted for it. To the north, Punta Gorda has also mandated masks. 

Ward 4 Councilman Kevin Anderson's motion encourages business owners to have patrons and employees wear masks. He was joined in support by Ward 5 Councilman Fred Burson, Gaile Anthony, of Ward 6, and Mayor Randy Henderson, who are white.

In Cape Coral:Cape Coral votes down plan to mandate masks in public

In Sanibel:Sanibel to require masks in public, limit beach parking

In opposition were council members Teresa Watkins Brown, Johnny Streets and Terolyn Watson, who are Black and represent the city's neighborhoods heavily populated by minorities. Statistics show minorities are hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Streets offered his own motion mandating masks but providing an exception for people who can't wear them for medical reasons. 

That motion failed across racial lines. 

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Watkins Brown, a vocal supporter of the mask mandate, had an uncharacteristic outburst about the meeting being a waste of time.

"What are we doing? Because we aren't doing anything," Watkins Brown said after Anderson presented his motion. "You aren't doing anything. This meeting was a waste of our time sitting here and talking ... These people want some help and we aren't listening. We are just ignoring what this community and what doctors are saying." 

She called council "sad elected officials."

"We are sad elected officials here not doing anything," she said. "We could have just told (City Manager) Saeed (Kazemi) over the phone just to continue what we are doing." 

"People are laughing at us right now. They are calling this meeting a circus," she later added. 

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Watkins Brown represents pockets of Dunbar and part of the Palm Beach Boulevard corridor, which is home to much of the city's minority populations.

"Many people are not dying in some of the other parts of the city, but they're dying in my parts of the city," she said. "The only way we can stop this is by mandating the mask."

The most recent data from the medical examiner, which includes a racial breakdown, shows that 11% of COVID-19 deaths in Lee County are Black victims. In other words, through June 30, of 161 victims in Lee County, seventeen of them were Black. U.S. Census data estimates 9% of Lee County's population is Black. 

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The disproportionate numbers of Black people who have contracted the disease is evident in the current statistics from the Department of Health.

As of Thursday morning, of the 4,249 people who have contracted the disease in Lee County and for whom race is known, 965 or 18% are Black, compared to 4,068 or 77% white. 

Mayor Randy Henderson said he has been tested twice and been negative both times. He said he complies with CDC guidelines, but did not want a mandate. 

"This is a 4-3 vote," Henderson said. "I think it's consistent with the kind of struggle that is going on in America."

Council heard from the public electronically and at the dais. More than 140 people emailed in their public comment. Of those, 112 were for a mask mandate, while 32 of them were against a mandate. 

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People also called in through Zoom. 

Julie Lehotay, a mother of four, said she has been home with her children since March and every time they go out they wear a mask. 

"Your websites are great. The information you have is great, but it's not enough," Lehotay said. 

Lehotay asked for a mandate. 

"A lot of places are having a hard time keeping social distancing," she said. "My children ask me why aren’t people wearing a face mask to protect us and I tell them I don’t know. I don’t understand why this has become so divisive."

Stephen Hooper agrees. 

"A lot of people don't know if or recognize that a mask, a simple wearing of a mask, can prevent the transmission of this if you are sick," he said. "I just don’t understand why it is that science has been so denigrated to the point where it now takes a back seat to people who failed science and their opinion."

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State Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, whose district includes parts of Collier and Hendry counties, was one of those against the mandate, urging council to vote against it. 

"Do not issue such an order when it is not clear you have the power to do so," Donalds said. 

A woman who identified herself as Steph J. said her child was a cancer survivor who used a mask while completing chemotherapy. 

"During that time we never insisted those around us change their lifestyle," she said. "Unfortunately, a simple mask to others invokes trauma for others."

Kazemi, the city manager, said it is a requirement for city employees to wear a mask around the public. He said he will look into providing masks for anyone entering into City Hall. 

Ultimately, the police department and fire department are unable to enforce a mandate, according to Fire Chief Tracy McMillion. McMillion urged council not to establish a mandate. 

"We cannot become the mask police," he said. "People wearing masks incorrectly. These are things our police department cannot go out and enforce."

"Don’t force," he added. "Educate."

Staff writer Melanie Payne contributed to this report.