Loading...
BCC Minutes 07/21/2020 E (Mask Mandate)July 21, 2020 Page 1 TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Naples, Florida, July 21, 2020 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners, in and for the County of Collier, and also acting as the Board of Zoning Appeals and as the governing board(s) of such special districts as have been created according to law and having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 a.m., in EMERGENCY SESSION in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the following members present: Chairman: Burt L. Saunders Andy Solis William L. McDaniel, Jr. Donna Fiala (via speakerphone) Penny Taylor ALSO PRESENT: Leo Ochs, County Manager Nick Casalanguida, Deputy County Manager Jeffrey A. Klatzkow, County Attorney Crystal K. Kinzel, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Troy Miller, Communications & Customer Relations COLLIER COUNTY Board of County Commissioners Community Redevelopment Agency Board (CRAB) Airport Authority EMERGENCY MEETING TO DISCUSS THE WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC PLACES AGENDA Board of County Commission Chambers Collier County Government Center 3299 Tamiami Trail East, 3rd Floor Naples, FL 34112 July 21, 2020 9:00 AM Commissioner Burt Saunders, District 3 — Chair Commissioner Andy Solis, District 2 — Vice -Chair Commissioner Donna Fiala, District 1; CRAB Co -Chair (Telephonically) Commissioner Penny Taylor, District 4 Commissioner William L. McDaniel, Jr., District 5; CRAB Co -Chair NOTICE: ALL PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS MUST REGISTER PRIOR TO PRESENTATION OF THE AGENDA ITEM TO BE ADDRESSED. ALL REGISTERED SPEAKERS WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE (3) MINUTES UNLESS THE TIME IS ADJUSTED BY THE CHAIRMAN. REQUESTS TO PETITION THE BOARD ON SUBJECTS WHICH ARE NOT ON THIS AGENDA MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING WITH EXPLANATION TO THE COUNTY MANAGER AT LEAST 13 DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF Page 1 July 21, 2020 THE MEETING AND WILL BE HEARD UNDER "PUBLIC PETITIONS." PUBLIC PETITIONS ARE LIMITED TO THE PRESENTER, WITH A MAXIMUM TIME OF TEN MINUTES. ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THIS BOARD WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDING PERTAINING THERETO, AND THEREFORE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. COLLIER COUNTY ORDINANCE NO.2003-53 AS AMENDED BY ORDINANCE 2004-05 AND 2007-249 REQUIRES THAT ALL LOBBYISTS SHALL, BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY LOBBYING ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ADDRESSING THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS), REGISTER WITH THE CLERK TO THE BOARD AT THE BOARD MINUTES AND RECORDS DEPARTMENT. IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO NEEDS ANY ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDING, YOU ARE ENTITLED, AT NO COST TO YOU, THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT THE COLLIER COUNTY FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION LOCATED AT 3335 EAST TAMIAMI TRAIL, SUITE 1, NAPLES, FLORIDA, 34112-5356, (239) 252-8380; ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED ARE AVAILABLE IN THE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION. LUNCH RECESS SCHEDULED FOR 12:00 NOON TO 1:00 P.M. 1. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Invocation Given • Motion to waive procedural matters — Approved 510 2. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS A. Reconsideration of Item # 1 OE from the July 14, 2020 BCC Meeting titled: Recommendation that the Board direct the County Attorney to advertise and bring back for a Special Hearing an Ordinance mandating that individuals wear a face covering in public. (Commissioner Taylor) (All Districts) Covid-19 Update — John Drew, Health Department Page 2 July 21, 2020 Emergency/Executive Order 2020-05 — Motion for the mask mandate to expire September 3, 2020 at midnight, unless otherwise extended by the Board, with a graduated fine structure, not applicable to children under the age of 9 yrs. and Municipalities may opt -in if desired — Adopted 3/2 (Commissioner Fiala and Commissioner McDaniel opposed); Motion for the County Manager to expend up to $25,000 to educate/assist businesses and in providing appropriate signage — Approved 3/2 (Commissioner Fiala and Commissioner McDaniel opposed) 3. ADJOURN Inquiries concerning changes to the Board's Agenda should be made to the County Manager's Office at 252-8383. Page 3 July 21, 2020 July 21, 2020 Page 2 CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ladies and gentlemen, the meeting of the County Commission will please come to order. I'm going to ask our colleague, Commissioner McDaniel, if he'll lead us in the prayer and then lead us in the pledge to the flag. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: If you'd all rise, please. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for the many blessings that you bestow upon us every single day. Father, these are interesting times within our country. I pray for your guidance, your will, and your wisdom to be bestowed upon the leaders of our community. Father, as always, I ask you to keep our first responders, our nurses and doctors, those on the front lines with this terrible virus close to your heart, protect them. And, as always, Father, please protect our military, those who fight for our freedom every single day. In thy holy name I pray, amen. With me, ladies and gentlemen. (The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We're here on the issue of wearing of masks. This meeting is at the request of Commissioner Penny Taylor, and, Commissioner Taylor, I'm going to turn it to you in just a few minutes. Before that, I'd like to make a motion that we waive rules of procedure that may impact whether or not we can reconsider matters so that we're not in a procedural problem. So, I'm going to make that motion to get started. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I'll second. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I have a motion and second. Any discussion? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: If not, all in favor, signify by July 21, 2020 Page 3 saying aye. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye. COMMISSIONER FIALA: (No verbal response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Aye. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That passes unanimously. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: As a discussion, would you please share what that means to our folks, if you don't mind. I understand it, you understand it, but -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Just real quickly, we do have rules dealing with reconsideration of matters. When we don't have rules that apply to certain procedural issues, we follow Robert's Rules of Order. Robert's Rules has rules dealing with reconsideration, and I just want to make sure that we're not in violation of any of that and, by waiving the rules, we're clearly on a path that we can proceed with this this morning. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And specifically for this item. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Just for this item. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And, basically, what it means is in order for an issue to be re-called, you have to be in the majority to be able to re-call an issue to reconsider your vote, such as what she has done. Potentially, last week, with you and Commissioner Solis being in the minority, you couldn't recall this item per the current rules. Is that my understanding? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: That is correct, yes. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. Just -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: We're going to have a lot of July 21, 2020 Page 4 speakers, and I'm not going to cut anybody off in terms of giving everybody an opportunity to speak. We're going to do the same thing we did a week ago. We're going to limit speakers to two minutes. At some point we may very well go to one minute, but we're going to get through and let everybody have their time. I've asked the Department of Health to give us just a really quick update primarily using the hospitalization chart to give us an idea of how things stand with our hospitals, and then when we conclude that, I'll have another comment or two, and then I'll turn this over to Commissioner Taylor. Good morning. UPDATE GIVEN REGARDING COVID-19 BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MR. DREW: Good morning. Thank you. For the record, I'm John Drew with the Florida Department of Health, and I'm here on behalf of Stephanie Vick. So, let's see -- it looks like we have my slides. Let's see if we've got the right ones. Yes, great. So, I have everything here that I normally present to you folks, but I know that you just asked for the hospital information. So I'm going to stick to that for now. And if you want to ask questions about anything else on the slides, we can do that later, or we can do it now. So, for the hospital capacity, looking at these charts that we see every week or every couple of weeks, again, the ventilator use still doesn't seem to be an issue, although it is going up. As you can see over the last few days, it's been up-ticking, but since -- from July 5th to July 10th, there was an uptick, and then that, again, happened around July 13th. So, it just -- slowly and steadily ventilator use is July 21, 2020 Page 5 going up for treatment of COVID patients. And then on the other side, the right side of the slide, you can see that there's around 200 COVID patients in the hospital. That was the census on July 19th; 2020. So, I know that that aggregate data's a little bit difficult to tell, so I broke them down into the two different hospital systems. This is based on the data that they reported yesterday to the Agency for Healthcare Administration website or database. And on the top we're just looking at ICU beds, ICU COVID patients, and the ventilators. So, again, as you can see the black line there, ventilators at this time is not an issue. They are being used for treatment, but there's no shortage. The orange line is the actual available ICU beds, and the shaded blue area is the number of patients. So just looking at that real quickly, on July 20th, at the very end, NCH had 14 COVID patients in ICU beds, and 17 beds still available. And then below is the non-ICU census where they had a little bit over 100, 115 or so, 110, in patients, COVID patients in non-ICU beds, and they have 85 staffed and available beds that they could put more patients into. The Physicians Regional, as you know, is a smaller system, not as many beds, but still a similar type of situation. Again, look at the scale of the chart. It's different because of the size of the system. So, they have just under 20 patients, COVID patients in ICU, they have 16 ventilators available that they could still use, and they had three ICU beds available that they could still use. And then on the bottom they have about 60 COVID patients in their non-ICU beds with 13 staffed and ready-to-go beds to put those patients into. I will tell you that yesterday Physicians Regional reported to us that they have stopped elective surgeries that require an overnight July 21, 2020 Page 6 stay, so as a precautionary measure to make sure that they still have beds available for the COVID patients. I'll give you just this one more piece that I think you'll be interested in knowing. So -- again, the rates of increase. So, for the rate of increase in the COVID-19 cases over -- these are rolling two-week periods. So, you can see 67 percent the last two-week period and down to 61 percent, but that's a rate of increase. So even though it's -- it has slowed down slightly, we're still increasing the number of cases by 61 percent over the last two-week period. And the hospital admissions, same -- similar story; 35 percent was the increase from July 29th to -- or June 29th to July 12th. And the rate of increase in hospital admissions still increasing by 31 percent from July 6th to July 19th. So, I'll stop there, and -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Are there any questions for Mr. Drew? Commissioner McDaniel. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. Good morning, sir. MR. DREW: Good morning. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: A couple of high-level questions. Who sets the protocol for the Epidemiology Department with regard to the management of the positive cases? Who sets the protocol for this Health Department's management of the positive cases? MR. DREW: That would be our Bureau of Epidemiology out of our state office. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: At the state level that is set? MR. DREW: Uh-huh. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. And on a percentage basis, again, there are no absolutes. You're going to hear me say that multiple times today. But on a percentage basis, what is the Health July 21, 2020 Page 7 Department's current contact level with the positive cases that have transpired with the county so far? MR. DREW: The last I saw -- I did not look at this number this morning. I apologize. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: There's no sorries. Again, as I said, there's no absolutes. MR. DREW: We're in the 85 to 90 percent range -- COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Okay. MR. DREW: -- here in Collier County. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Well -- and that's what -- that's what we care about today, the circumstances. Because I knew -- we have talked about it regularly. I serve on a partner's call twice a week with the organizations that help our community in Immokalee, and we have been running at about an 85 percent contact rate with the positive cases, folks who have tested positive. So, thank you very much. MR. DREW: You're welcome. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Any other questions? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Seeing none, thank you. MR. DREW: Thank you. Item #2 RECONSIDERATION OF ITEM #10E FROM THE JULY 14, 2020 BCC MEETING TITLED: RECOMMENDATION THAT THE BOARD DIRECT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY TO ADVERTISE AND BRING BACK FOR A SPECIAL HEARING AN ORDINANCE MANDATING THAT INDIVIDUALS WEAR A FACE COVERING IN PUBLIC: EMERGENCY/EXECUTIVE ORDER 2020-05 – MOTION FOR July 21, 2020 Page 8 THE MASK MANDATE TO EXPIRE SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 AT MIDNIGHT, UNLESS OTHERWISE EXTENDED BY THE BOARD, WITH A GRADUATED FINE STRUCTURE, NOT APPLICABLE TO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF NINE (9) YEARS OF AGE, AND FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO “OPT-IN” IF DESIRED – ADOPTED W/CHANGES (COMMISSIONER FIALA AND COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL OPPOSED); MOTION FOR COUNTY MANAGER TO EXPEND UP TO $25,000 TO EDUCATE/INFORM BUSINESSES AND IN PROVIDING APPROPRIATE SIGNAGE – APPROVED (COMMISSIONER FIALA AND COMMISSIONER MCDANIEL OPPOSED) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Before we get to the speakers, I'd like to encourage the speakers on a couple things. Number one, we're going to limit everyone to two minutes, and we'll be very strict about that, because I believe we have somewhere near 200 speakers, and we're going to try to get through all of those. So, I also am going to ask the speakers, if you're supportive of masks and you want to simply say that, that's fine. You don't need to take two minutes. Shorter would be appreciated. And with that, I'm going to turn this over to Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Taylor, this meeting is at your request, and I'm going to let you explain why we're here and -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Thank you, Mr. Chair. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- we'll move on. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Thank you very much. First of all, let me start off with an apology; that this is a very difficult time for everyone. Emergency meetings can cause great stress for everyone, let along an additional workload for our staff and also for my colleagues who took an opportunity, because it's -- it's scheduled to take a break, and I really, again, apologize for bringing you back. July 21, 2020 Page 9 But to me it's this important. I've been asked, what has happened since July the 14th, seven days ago. What's different? Why have you changed? What has made you re-think your position? And so -- and I don't know -- you have it here. Okay. And so, I'm going to pass this down to my colleagues, two colleagues here, and I don't think Commissioner Fiala's with us today; is that correct, sir? COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes, I am. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Oh, there you are. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: She's on the telephone. COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Do we need to -- speaking of protocol, do we need to vote to allow her to participate? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No, we do not. We're under the Governor's order. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Good. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And, Commissioner Fiala, I'm sorry I didn't say something about you being on the phone earlier, but we all knew you were on the phone. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I didn't. COMMISSIONER FIALA: Okay. Thank you very much. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: So, the day of our meeting, which was July the 14th, at the end of that meeting, I read the press release from the CDC calling on Americans to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread. I also read the press release that talked about the two hairdressers from Missouri who were wearing masks, working with COVID, and their clients -- not one of their clients got infected. But when their -- later on when they tested their families, their families were infected. So, these two hairdressers were definitely contagious, July 21, 2020 Page 10 but the masks not only protected them, it protected their clients, because the clients were wearing masks. So, there was a study that I was waiting for that I had asked for last Tuesday. But then I started hearing about different stores. And I made a list here. So just bear with me. I'm going to read through this list about what nationally is happening. After July the 14th, 2020, Winn-Dixie; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Best Buy; CVS; Gap and all its affiliates; Harris Teeter; Home Depot; Kohl's; Lowe's; Panera Bread; Target; Walmart; Amazon and all its affiliates, including Wholefoods, excuse me; Kroger; Aldi; Macy's; Starbucks; Albertson's; RiteAid; and PetSmart are mandating masks to enter their stores. Our local businesses are very concerned, not for today. They are concerned about what is going to happen in October or November when folks come back from the north to escape the cold, to enjoy our climate, to live in their houses. And they are concerned that there is a lack of safety in their minds that they feel afraid. And I've had these calls. I've had two Zoom calls with major retailers throughout our community talking about what we can do together -- together, government with these businesses, to get the word out that we're a very, very safe community. One of the issues that it's very clear -- and if we put the map up, sir -- is that when you look at the states that have statewide mask mandates, you can see that the northeast is one of those areas. And when you realize, especially when you look at -- I believe that's Michigan. I think that's Michigan there -- North Carolina, when you see us leaving here to go to North Carolina, but a lot of North Carolina folks come down here, we as -- in tourism, we appeal to the northeast. You realize that those folks up there expect the same of us, and July 21, 2020 Page 11 we're not doing that. That's the way -- that's the way we are in our state. But Collier County can do something different. I am not suggesting -- I am not suggesting that we have a mandated mask ordinance for individuals, but I am suggesting that we do it for businesses. I am not suggesting that we mandate masks outside when you can social distance, but I am suggesting that we mandate masks inside where there can be very little social distancing. There are several other ideas I have, but that is it in a nutshell. I have answered or read every email that has come into my office since my vote last Tuesday, and one thing is apparent, is that people, whether it's right or wrong, whether it's factual or not factual, whether it can be backed up by science or not, are frightened. They want security, some kind of security. They want to feel confident leaving their homes and coming into our businesses. And I heard them, and that's why I asked for this meeting today. Thank you. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Solis, do you have any comments before we go to public comment? COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I would -- yeah, just a couple. And, first, I want to thank Commissioner Taylor for doing what you just said and bringing this back. I think this is -- these are really, really hard decisions, and I want to commend her for her leadership on this and bringing this back, so thank you. And, certainly, no apology necessary for an emergency meeting. It's -- it's what we're here for -- to do. So, the other thing I would say is in more of my discussions with the business community, one thing has come up that I would just add, and that is that, to a great extent, an ordinance or an order requiring masks provides them some safe harbor in the sense that right now, you know, there's conflicts that arise because the businesses are having to impose this. And I would add Publix to the list as well -- July 21, 2020 Page 12 COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes, Publix. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- because I think Publix starts today. That it gives them some cover in the sense that it's -- you know, this is something the county's requiring. It's not -- it's not just them, and it takes them out of conflict with their patrons. I've heard that from a number of different business owners and also from the Chamber. I believe we just all received an email from Arthrex which details what they're doing. Mandatory face coverings at all Arthrex facilities domestically and internationally. If you move, your mask is the policy for all employees and visitors. The only time a face covering is not required is when sitting in a personal work space eating, lunch in a cafeteria outside. You know, the risk to employers of an outbreak within their employees and requiring them to shut down is real. I mean, we've seen that happen in a number of restaurants in town and other businesses. So, again, I just want to commend and thank Commissioner Taylor for her leadership. Thanks. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Just a couple quick comments before we turn to the public comment, and this is for the speakers. The proposal that's in front of you would require wearing masks when in indoor spaces where you're interacting with employees or with other people. So, if you're in an office, for example, in your own work space, this would not apply. I had one other thought that has escaped me. There certainly would be no requirement to wear a mask outdoors in this. Enforcement, the way we left it, would be with Code Enforcement, which basically means -- and this is very important for the businesses -- which basically means that it's complaint driven. So, if someone enters a business without a mask and someone calls our July 21, 2020 Page 13 Code Enforcement to complain, Code Enforcement can go to that business and say, you need to enforce this. At worst, at that point, an employer may get a recommendation to -- or a warning but, ultimately, that Code Enforcement case, if it ever became a case, would come to a Code Enforcement Board, and any activities -- and, ultimately, to this board. And any activities taken by the employer, the business, to enforce the mask requirements would be taken into account in terms of any penalty. I don't think this would be onerous on businesses. This is really an opportunity to get people to wear masks in those businesses and to get some enforcement of that. Commissioner McDaniel. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I need a point of clarity. COMMISSIONER FIALA: Yes. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Commissioner Fiala, do you want to go first? COMMISSIONER FIALA: Well, it's all right. I was just going to ask about restaurants. Will that -- I understand the employees should wear them, but people can't if they're eating in a restaurant. What do you do there? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And that's correct. It would not apply to people in restaurants and bars that are eating and drinking. Commissioner McDaniel. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And -- please, please. The ordinance in front of us is not what you just got done saying why you called this meeting. The ordinance that's in front of us is a universal mask wearing requisite for everybody. We already established at our last meeting when we turned down the previous order that businesses had the right to mandate a mask being worn in their facility and that they had the right to enforce that via the trespass laws. Why this? MR. OCHS: Mr. Chairman, I think I could help here. July 21, 2020 Page 14 COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No, I was asking her. MR. OCHS: Oh, I'm sorry. You asked about the backup in the packet? Is that what you were referencing? COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No. I'm reading -- I'm reading the draft ordinance that's here to me today, and what she said is not what I'm reading here. MR. OCHS: The draft executive order. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yes. MR. OCHS: Okay. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And I'm asking you why, when a business already has that choice, that right to mandate that their patrons wear a mask and can enforce it, why would you bring forward a mandated mask ordinance for all businesses to put them in a libelous position for someone who wants to call? And I pointed at Commissioner Saunders because he was sitting there. But I'm not understanding your rationale here. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Uniformity. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Just because everybody -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Consistency of enforcement. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So it's similar to our shutting down our beaches because they did it on the other coast? COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: It is from my -- at least my constituents, it is a repeated request -- COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I understand, yes, ma'am. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: -- to do this, but this is also based on what major retailers are doing through the country. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I understand. I wanted to hear that from you, because this is -- this is -- this is not lining up with Billy. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No, no. I knew that. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: So, I just -- now we can go to July 21, 2020 Page 15 the public hearing, and then I have a couple other comments -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Taylor, your light is on. Are you -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes. One of the things that -- and I know that businesses have had a hard time enforcing this individually, and I know there's pushback, in some cases actually from employees that have been asked to do this. And I've heard this through several weeks. It seems to be something that is becoming even more concerning to these businesses as they gear up to try to at least make 2021 a successful year for them. Remember, they lost March. Lost it. March is the busiest season [sic] here. MR. OAKES: Because of bad decisions. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: And I've also heard from -- I've also heard from people that are traveling, they live up north and come down here, saying that, you know, I live in a state that has a mask mandate. I'm not going to come down here again if we're going to do this. You've got to get it straight. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Let's go ahead and move to the public comment. Again, I'm going to urge the speakers no more than two minutes, and if you're pro mask, if you could simply say that, or if you're anti-mask mandate, if you could say that, that would help us get through the speakers. So, we'll call them in the order in which you received them. MR. MILLER: Yeah. Mr. Chairman, we have two different types of speakers today. We have 33 people here on campus both in the room and in overflow rooms who will come into this room to speak. We have 114 people registered online. Currently 82 of those are online. We will alternate between in-person and online to facilitate time for cleaning. I will remind speakers a court reporter is trying to take down everything you say, so please no speed talking. July 21, 2020 Page 16 Our first speaker will be Charles Blum. He will be followed by Dr. Linda-Jo Pallotto-Russo, then Joan Jaidl, and then Chadwin Taylor. Mr. Blum, you have two minutes. MR. BLUM: Thank you very much. Thank you, Commissioners. My name is Charles Blum. I'm a full-time resident of Collier County. Commissioners, your oath of office requires you to protect the health, safety, welfare, and quality of life for our residents and visitors. To do anything other than implement some type of mask ordinance as we watch this pandemic worsen with voluntary mask measures is nothing short of a violation of your duties. Is this your legacy? Does a temporary mandate take away our freedom? Let's address that. If I lit up a cigarette in this room, I will get fined. The medical evidence shows that you can get sick from secondhand smoke in air, in vents, or just from the smoker who's exhaling. And so, it's banned. Do you see any effort to repeal this rule because it violates our freedom? No. My brother lost his life at age 26 from injuries in a car accident. Every medical professional agreed, had he been wearing his seat belt, he would be with me today. Unfortunately, they didn't have seat belt mandates back then. Are those concerned about freedoms petitioning Washington to overturn a seat belt or smoking regulation? Does the Supreme Court consider this a violation of our freedom? From a business standpoint, it's quite evident that many citizens do not voluntarily comply with mask guidelines. Hence, things are getting worse, not better. And the noncompliant mask wearers in other counties are coming here to our county possibly leading to another shutdown. How does this help our business or get schools open? July 21, 2020 Page 17 In summary, if your freedom was truly an issue, have you seen people running to the Capitol to overturn rules on smoking, seat belts, pesticides, stop signs? I could go on for hours. And I'm tired of hearing those who do not wear masks and have gotten sick or infected others and now they support mask mandates. No one is more patriotic than our soldiers that wear protective gear or the thousands of dedicated doctors and nurses and other mass health professionals that risk their lives every single day to help us beat this enemy. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Thank you. MR. BLUM: We have a patriotic duty. Time is running out. We depend on you. Thank you. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is online. It is Dr. Linda-Jo Pallotto-Russo. She will be followed by Joan Jaindl and then Chadwin Taylor. Mr. -- Dr. Pallotto-Russo, are you there, ma'am? DR. PALLOTTO-RUSSO: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes. Please begin. DR. PALLOTTO-RUSSO: Thank you, Commissioners, for your time. My name is Linda-Jo Pallotto-Russo. I have been a registered nurse for 25 years, and I have doctoral degree in educational leadership. I am 100 percent against the government at any level mandating masks to businesses or citizens. We are not children, and we can be responsible for our health. As a woman, if I can make the decision to have an abortion, which kills a lot more than 140,000 people a year, then I can make the decision about wearing my mask. Thank you very much for your concern, but I'm an educated 53-year-old woman, and I don't need commissioners telling me what I need to do to be safe. In fact, I can't think of anything more July 21, 2020 Page 18 demoralizing. You voted last week, and now you want a do-over. I think that is weak and very pathetic. If I ever acted like this with my employer, I would be fired. Someone is clearly being bullied by someone on the left. This is typically childish behavior in my opinion, and I hope the left doesn't wear you down until you concede. This is a freedom issue. What is also very concerning to me is the repeated lack of leadership in general and Republican leadership as well. You are not elected to vote the way you want to based on your emotion. You are elected to vote for your right wing or constituents, regardless of side. You vote for the way we think, not you. Moreover, even if you do mandate masks, that doesn't mean everyone will comply. So, we will all still be in the same situation we are in now, which is personal responsibility. If I see someone not wearing a mask, then I just make sure I'm six feet away. It's actually that simple. Lastly, many stores are requiring masks now, so why does the Commission have to enforce it when the store owners are already doing that? For the few store owners that are not requiring masks, citizens can just not go to that establishment. Please stand up for America and vote no mandate. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Joan Jaindl. She'll be followed by Chadwin Taylor, then Scott Sherman, and then Darren Aquino. MS. JAINDL: Joan Jaindl. Reading a letter from my 29-year-old son to the three commissioners who voted against the mask mandate. Thank you for voting against a mask mandate during the July 14th meeting. Today I, once again, implore you to vote against a July 21, 2020 Page 19 mask mandate in Collier County. Forcing your citizens to wear a mask is a blatant abuse of power, and it's appalling that we're even having this discussion again. Shaming your fellow Americans into wearing masks because it keeps others safe or is for the greater good is reminiscent of the justification used by authoritarian governments throughout the 20th century to control and ultimately massacre their countrymen by the millions. Don't be naive enough to think that it can't happen here. When the government becomes tyrannical, it is our responsibility as citizens to defend our rights. Consider what's happened over the past couple of months. The entire country has been placed under house arrest. Our ability to earn a living, worship our god, and assemble in public was taken away without due process. Now you want to dictate what we wear on our faces. Does this not sound tyrannical to you? The Stamp Act seems minuscule in comparison and yet that was the catalyst for the American Revolution. This committee is treading on dangerous ground, and I'm concerned that if you try to put the power of the badge and gun behind this mandate, you'll create an atmosphere where those who value their freedoms will feel like they have nothing left to lose. The only reasonable and legal approach to all of this would be for those who are concerned about getting sick to stay at home or wear a mask by choice. We're not your subjects. If you continue down this path, God help our country and our county because we'll lose what generations of our forefathers fought and died to pass down to us. Please do the right thing as fellow American citizens and honor your oaths by voting no to a mask mandate. I wish I could speak in front of the council, but three months of being unemployed has really hurt me, just like it has hurt so many other people. I have to work to July 21, 2020 Page 20 pay the bills, so keep that in mind if you hear a majority of people in favor of selling their souls to the government. They aren't the majority. They're just fortunate enough to have the time and money to cause trouble. God bless, Joe Jaindl. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Chadwin Taylor. He will be followed by Scott Sherman and then Darren Aquino, and then Beth Sherman. Mr. Taylor, are you with us? Chadwin Taylor, are you with us, sir? MR. TAYLOR: Yes, I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. You have two minutes. Please begin. MR. TAYLOR: Thank you. Board of Commissioners, thank you for your time today. Day by day more and more businesses are requiring masks by their choice. We see masks in commercials, in social media, and all over our local community. The pressure each of you must feel on this topic has to be palatable [sic]. In an age when information is at our fingertips, data can be used to write any story we choose. The mainstream media has done a phenomenal job of highlighting the most fear-driven data available. In the beginning it was all about mortality rates. When that fell below alarming levels and more testing became available, the headlines focused on the number of positive cases. The fear propaganda has conditioned a free society to ask their government to revoke our right to breathe unobstructed air. Unless you have a preexisting health condition or you're over the age of 55, your chances of getting in a fatal car accident, drowning, or dying of heart disease are far greater than dying of COVID-19. July 21, 2020 Page 21 Not one car has been banned from the road, swimming hasn't been banned, not one fast-food restaurant with greasy foods has been banned. In fact, they were considered essential businesses. We've always been given the choice to pursue our life and our health as we see fit. Today that right is in jeopardy. Once these rights are removed, when will they return? With the risk of severe complications being so low for some and much higher for others, why do we condition to entertain a one-size-fits-all approach? We have great minds in this community and even better people. There is a path forward where we protect our most vulnerable while maintaining freedom for everyone. In the Marines our motto is Semper fidelis. It means always faithful. Courageous leaders are required now more than ever. Have the courage to be faithful to the pillars of freedom this country was founded on: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. Your time is up. MR. TAYLOR: Vote for our freedom of choice. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Scott Sherman. He will be followed by Darren Aquino and then Beth Sherman and then Bray Magee. Mr. Sherman, you have two minutes. MR. SHERMAN: Thank you, Commissioners, for your service to our community. As a biomedical engineer, I have extensive experience interpreting microbiological and scientific data. There's a growing body of research indicating masks actually spread viruses faster than going without. Let's begin with a sneeze that has about 8 trillion viruses in it. Based on mask efficiency studies at the University of Chicago, mask made from cloth, scarves, T-shirts, et cetera, will vary widely but will average about -- let about 6.3 trillion of these viruses pass through. July 21, 2020 Page 22 Remember this is both in and out. So, if you sneeze or someone near you does, you still get a massive dose of viruses when masked. As a sneeze or cough forces the particles through a cloth mask, the larger droplets that would normally drop to the ground will actually become aerosolized. They remain in the air far longer and travel farther, especially when inside where forced air ventilation is existing. A HEPA filter, 99.9 percent effective. So, if you're wearing a double canister HEPA filter, you will still get 80 billion viruses if you're near someone that sneezes. Now let's look at the numbers in Miami where masks are mandatory. Their cases are still on the rise, so this supports my hypothesis. Why? Because people wearing masks feel safe and yet they touch the handrails, cans, boxes in grocery stores, and then they touch their faces, adjust the mask, and spread the viruses to their phones, steering wheels, and other items they touch frequently. Your eyes are not covered by mask, and they're still the most vulnerable mucous membranes, and they remain unprotected. Many people counter my arguments with this: Then why do people wear masks in hospitals? My answer is that those masks are designed to stop much larger bacteria and yet the vast majority of people that die from infections actually contract them in hospitals. The most comprehensive study I found on masks is by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. This study can be easily found by Googling AAPS mask facts. They emphatically state masks do not work. To conclude, masks don't help the wearer or the people around them. Masks give people a false sense of security so they become less careful. They touch their faces more often while adjusting them. Please vote no. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. July 21, 2020 Page 23 MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Darren Aquino. He will be followed by Beth Sherman, Bray Magee, and then Francis Schwerin. Mr. Aquino, are you with us? MR. AQUINO: Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. You have two minutes. MR. AQUINO: Okay. Thank you. Well, I was at one of the meetings. My name is Darren Aquino. I am the national chief advocate for disabled Americans, veterans, police, firemen, and family, a 35-year civil rights activist for the disabled. When I came to the meeting, I had my intern speak as a first responder. I oppose any restriction or mandate because here's one perspective you have not considered, reason why I gave you my title. There are folks with disabilities that cannot wear a mask. Any attempt to do so would cause the organization to bring a civil action against that infringement. You must consider these factors as well. I want to applaud my other fellow citizens for speaking boldly to our elected. You have a duty to us, and that's to uphold, protect, and defend. It's not negotiable. You must do what the will of the people is. I understand that we have some issues, but we're all adults, like that nurse said so eloquently. I applaud her statement. But as an advocate, I must caution you, any attempt to do so, I would bring a civil action against you individually and in your official capacity, because take into consideration this: Imagine an autistic child who can't wear a mask. There is no age on our constitutional protection, and to force a child with autism to do such would be a great problem. Now, you must consider these factors as well before you make a harsh and wrong decision that would affect this panel negatively, because the people will rise up against it. We're all adults. We July 21, 2020 Page 24 know that we have to take precautions, and we will, most of us. We've got some young folks that aren't obeying and have created some spiking. We understand that. But we're all adults, and our constitutional rights will not be infringed upon. The ADA is a federal mandate. You cannot -- you cannot infringe on a person with a disability that would be obstructed with a mask. I want to caution you about that, and also advise you, because we're all citizens. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Darren, I'm sorry -- Darren, I'm sorry. Your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Beth Sherman. She will be followed by Bray Magee, Francis Schwerin, and Cesar De Leon. Ms. Sherman, you have two minutes. MS. SHERMAN: Good morning. As we stand here this morning, the Florida Department of Health stood up and told us all about the increase in our county. I'd like to tell you about what the actual death rate is in our county. The death rate in our county as of this morning when I did the math off of their website is 0.014 percent. Meaning 99.99 percent of us who contract this will recover. I find it deplorable that we are here for a fourth time, a fourth time. That is absolutely ridiculous. How many times are we going to vote on this? Are we going to vote on this until you get the answer that you want? It was said best to me yesterday in a joking but serious manner. We are four months into this. You don't wear masks four months into a pandemic. That is like wearing a condom to the baby shower. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Bray Magee. He will be followed by Francis Schwerin, Cesar De Leon, and Garrett F.X. Beyrent. July 21, 2020 Page 25 Mr. Magee, are you with us, or Ms. Magee? MS. MAGEE: Yes. It's Ms. Magee. MR. MILLER: I'm sorry, thank you. MS. MAGEE: Good morning. I am -- excuse me? I'm definitely in favor of a mask mandate. I believe that individuals that are noncompliant should be fined quite heavily. I am glad that the commissioners are reconvening; however, we went through the six-hour process last week where it was 4-1 [sic] in favor of wearing a mask. So, I just want to reiterate again that I feel it's extremely important for the health and welfare our community, and thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker will be Francis Schwerin. He will be followed by Cesar De Leon and then Garrett Beyrent. MR. SCHWERIN: Hello, Commissioners. Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Dr. Francis Schwerin. I'm a retired physician, Collier County. I would just like to address the issue of this courageous vote here today. Actually, not courageous because bars will be open, restaurants will be open. Anybody could -- that's where the most infections occur. So, if you were really courageous, you would do what you wanted to do in March and shut down every business and restaurant. You said yourself, one of the commissioners here who brought this forward, the reason for it was for feelings and because we didn't -- we wanted to assure our customers. We want to bring our customers down. They will all be exposed, and many will get sick, and it's up to the sick people to stay home, and those who wish to expose themselves may do so. So, my recommendation, the mask that is recommended by the July 21, 2020 Page 26 CDC is actually totally ineffective. The guidelines that you recommend, just cloth of any fabric, it could be fishnet stocking, I could go into a restaurant. The most egregious part of this is what Aquino was talking about, which is the people with disabilities. This is egregious. Here's your statute. When a customer of a business establishment asserts that he or she has a disability that prevents the individual from wearing a mask, like COPD or emphysema, lung cancer, the owner or manager or employee of the business may exclude that individual even if they have the disability as they may pose a direct threat to the safety of individuals, and they may be ejected from the business and may not be -- and they may not sue the business. Well, of course, that's a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. So -- and then falsely allowing people to go to restaurants so you can keep your customers happy. I plan to shop at restaurants and establishments that don't require masks and let the other people go to Kroger's and whatever, Publix. We don't need this ordinance. And, by the way, please provide a sunset provision. You don't have a sunset provision. You excluded the sunset provision from the initial draft. I recommend sunsetting this in one month. Okay. Thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Cesar De Leon. He will be followed by Garrett Beyrent, Cynthia Odierna, and then Jeff McCann. Mr. De Leon, are you with us? DR. DE LEON: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. DR. DE LEON: Thank you. Good morning, Commissioners. I came to you two months ago July 21, 2020 Page 27 representing the Collier County Medical Society to give you the latest scientific knowledge about COVID-19 infection. Unfortunately, the voice of the scientific community was ignored, and now we are making national news for the numbers of infected and the amount of citizens that are allowed to die by not enforcing a mask mandate. Wearing a mask has been scientifically proven to not only protect the person wearing it but also those around the person who wears it. It is one of the few tools that are recommended by the CDC, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, Florida Medical Association, Florida Osteopathic Association, World Health Organization, and your Collier County Medical Society to save lives from COVID-19. By not implementing a mandate today, our county will see a worsening death rate followed by decreased tourism and revenues for everyone who lives here. For the last eight days, I have been quarantined at home with a COVID-19 infection myself. As a first responder, I continued caring for everyone who needed me. Unfortunately, the number of infected patients has become overwhelming, and I also ended up becoming a victim. Now, me and my family realize that our responsibility for humanity, it starts when our actions could take the life of others. Our human right ends when we infringe on the rights of other. I became fully symptomatic while my three family members are fully asymptomatic. We don't know who is -- who has the COVID-19 on the street. Ordering someone to wear a mask is the same as enforcing a speed limit or stopping at the red light. We might not feel like it, but it saves lives. It is fully in your power and your responsibility to protect your citizens, your first responders, and the economy, we all depend on. Please vote today to enforce a mask mandate to demonstrate to your citizens -- July 21, 2020 Page 28 CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Cesar, I'm sorry. Your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Garrett Beyrent. He will be followed by Cynthia Odierna, Jeff McCann, and then Dana Escalona. Mr. Beyrent. MR. BEYRENT: Can you hear me? I'm wearing a really thick mask. Black masks matter. Any kind of mask matters. I like Burt's purple mask. Just wear a mask. It might save your life. It might save a little kid's life. We don't know what's going to happen. Just wear a mask. It won't kill you. It might save somebody. Thanks. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Cynthia Odierna. She'll be followed by Jeff McCann, Dana Escalona, and Kathleen Elrod. Ms. Odierna, are you there? MS. ODIERNA: Yes. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, ma'am. MS. ODIERNA: Thank you. The agencies charged with keeping us safe have dropped the ball again. The White House is, obviously, not yet tired of winning with its refusal to mandate masks and fervor to open schools literally at all costs. It seems like they now want to win the competition for the highest student infection rate or casualties and greatest -- and the greatest shortage of teachers who are leaving the profession in droves are quitting because of the susceptibility to COVID-19 or helplessness at the idea of washing tables and books all day but knowing it's impossible to disinfect all the pages. The state is already winning the epicenter-of-the-world award. DeSantis blackmails schools into opening or risk losing funds but promises no social distancing. The county substitutes that safety measure for goggles and July 21, 2020 Page 29 masks, but at lunch and breakfast the students could possibly return to packed classrooms and will dine with the teacher up to two times a day with no mouth coverings. Why bother with masks in the first place? Last Tuesday you heard facts from the majority of speakers. Scientists, doctors, and medical experts, voices of the community and laypeople who had done their homework or just plain begging for the right not to be subjected to breathing contagion from the anti-maskers, as they had no protection from passive cigarette smoke in the public years ago. All of that logic and begging was drowned out by the sound of the cash register. You heard us last Tuesday, but I implore you this time to listen to the constituents and do everything to keep us safe. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jeff McCann. He will be followed by Dana Escalona, Kathleen Elrod, and Daniella Dye. Mr. McCann, you have two minutes. MR. McCANN: Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Jeff McCann. And as a corporate training officer for Culinary Concepts here in Naples, Florida, I have about 200 hours in which I spent training employees about cross-contamination. The thing about masks is it actually scares me that you want everyone to wear a mask, because even though maybe you may always sanitize your mask and sanitize your hands before each and every time you touch it or touch your face, I know good and well that everybody else does not. I watch this behavior all day. As a matter of fact, just coming into this building, I had to wear a mask. In order to get through to have myself checked, I had to pick my mask off to show my face, then put my mask back on, so now my mask is contaminated. If I was COVID positive, my hand would be contaminated. I would have walked into this door, I would July 21, 2020 Page 30 have touched the handle of the door, and every other person who came in here would be contaminated with COVID, all right. Everybody takes their masks, and they wear them all day. They put them in their purses, they put them on their phones, they put them everywhere, and they are not sanitary. That's simply put. The other thing I would like to address is I, as a worker in a restaurant, when we reopened after the COVID virus, two -- I would say 99 out of 100 people, because I only had two tables total, asked me to wear a mask, thanked me for not wearing a mask, were from other states and told me that the reason they were here is that we had the freedom to not wear a mask, and that is about all I have to say at this moment. Thank you very much for your time. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dana Escalona. She will be followed by Kathleen Elrod, then Daniella Dye, and then Mara Bugarin. Ms. Escalona, are you with us? Dana Escalona, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Oscar, let's try Daniella Dye. Daniella Dye. Are you with us, Daniella? MS. DYE: Yes, I'm here. MR. MILLER: Okay. Ms. Dye, you have two minutes. Please begin. MS. DYE: I'm asking today for you guys to vote no and to stop hearing this unless we have some clear terms of what the actual emergency and contamination that we're reviewing are. We don't have anything in any of the provisions that were provided to say when this emergency will be effective and when it will be taken away. There is no rate of infection, whether it's for the county or any July 21, 2020 Page 31 other kind of establishment that we're reviewing. There isn't anything that tells us what the terms are, and that's a big problem. We have a number discrepancy. Even if we were to use the terms that are possibly being provided, there has not been any kind of clear determination on what the numbers mean. Everybody looks at them a little bit differently, and it is very clear, if nothing else, that the science is not settled. So we have to go back to the fact that you are taking a choice away from the people that are living in your city. You are taking choice away from the people that live in your county. And you are right, there are big retailers that went and made the mandate for their people, which means that the only option for people choosing not to wear a mask or are unable to wear a mask is to shop your local retailers and suppliers, and you are now going to take that away with a mandate. You are going to put the people out of business, not the travelers that don't want to come into the city any longer. There are plenty of tourists that do want to come to places that don't require masks, and it's not because they want to spread infection. The other thing that I wanted to ask you about is the liability, which I know another speaker asked about today as well. When we're taking on the liability as a county or a city, the gentleman said it, you are opening yourself up for liability for personal suits and suits against the city, county, and the establishments themselves. MR. MILLER: All right, then. Your next speaker is Kathleen Elrod. She'll be followed by David Edele, and then Mara Bugarin, and then David Holden. Ms. Elrod, you have two minutes. MS. ELROD: So, I have a question for you. How many people have recovered? How many people had COVID and recovered? So, they have the antibodies. They don't need to wear a mask. We don't have that number. July 21, 2020 Page 32 You keep giving us positive cases. So, all of these people that have the antibodies, and if they get a vaccine, they're going to be given the antibodies. Same difference. How many people have recovered? You're going to mandate all of these people to wear a mask that don't have to. They're not contagious. They can't pass it on anymore. How many? These are all people that survived it. That's the only question I had. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is David Edel. He'll be followed by Mara Bugarin, then David Holden, and then Bryan Holmes. Mr. Edel, are you with us? MR. EDEL: Yes, I am. Thank you. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. MR. EDEL: We should all take a step back away from the hype, the inflated death count, and the media fear-mongering. We need to make decisions based on science. There is no science, no data that proves that face masks are in any way effective. In fact, there have been numerous studies proving that face masks do not work in slowing the spread of airborne particles. Studies in 2009, '10, '12, '16, '17, '19, and 2020 all came to the same conclusion. Published in the Journal of American Medical Association, a total of six random controlled tests involving 9,171 participants were included. There were no statistical significant differences in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza, laboratory-confirmed respiratory viral infections, laboratory-confirmed respiratory infection and influenza-like illness using N95 respirators. In fact, they can -- as one of the previous speakers said, that they actually increase the danger, and there's also a 2015 study that says July 21, 2020 Page 33 exactly that, which I could quote, but I'm being mindful of everybody's time. Also, a headline from JusttheNews.com one month after statewide mask mandate, California's daily COVID case average has increased by 162 percent. Not necessarily causation, but it's a correlation that's worth noting. So not only do they not make us safer with decreased oxygen levels, they lower our immune system and are detrimental to our health. Oxygen meters placed inside a face mask sound an alarm in under 10 seconds that the oxygen levels are below the OSHA 19.5 standard. The government does not own us. We're responsible adults. I urge you to vote against any kind of mandatory face masks. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Mara Bugarin. She'll be followed by David Holden, Bryan Holmes, and then Deborah Cruise. Ms. Bugarin, you have two minutes. MS. BUGARIN: Thank you. I cannot believe we are here again. Firs,t I want to ask you to what God do you pray, because we definitely don't pray to the same God. What's next? You will tell us to crawl because somebody told you that virus is three feet above the ground, or I need to wear the mask in my house. You are being bullied to do this, and we know by who. We, the people, working really hard to pay for your bread on your table, really hard. This land to belong to the people. To the speakers, you're talking about the speakers, we know what you did for the last meeting. You sent three different emails. You encouraged the people, really highly encouraging the people to talk against -- for the mask. And you're saying it's so hard for you, we see how hard it is, because you're pushing this for a fourth time to make it your way, not July 21, 2020 Page 34 the people's way. And I just want to let you know that you need to be afraid of my God. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is David Holden. He will be followed by Bryan Holmes, Deborah Cruise, and then Dean Parave. Mr. Holden, are you with us, sir? MR. HOLDEN: I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. MR. HOLDEN: Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. You know, it's both sad and tragic that this issue has become so politicized, but I commend this commission on its courage in bringing this issue up again. It's important to note that the severity of the pandemic is not measured by mortality alone, and we've seen that states with mandates have cases going down while states without mandates have cases going up. The science is clear. This is an essential -- it's not the only step we need to take, but a mask mandate is an essential step forward in protecting our community and protecting ourselves, and I urge the Commission to vote yes on this motion. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Bryan Holmes. He'll be followed by Deborah Cruise, Dean Parave, and then Diane Baldasaro. Mr. Holmes, you have two minutes. MR. HOLMES: Thank you, Commissioners. My name is Bryan Holmes. I'm a resident of Pelican Bay. I have a master's in healthcare administration and am a certified project manager. Having grown up in Collier County, I care deeply about the community. July 21, 2020 Page 35 During this crisis and into the future, I believe we need to recognize our different perspectives and beliefs as benefits and not detriments. We need to realize that we are in this together as a community, whether some like it or not. We need to stand up for those in need, and we need to advocate for our friends in the community, both friends we know and the friends we have not yet met. When we talk about getting back to a new normal, I think this is the first step. The Collier County I know leads by example. I believe by taking action now and leading by example, other leaders, both locally and on the state level, will follow suit. My only ask is that you do what's best for all of your constituents' health and safety. This decision is even more crucial because the teachers, principals, and administrators I have spoken to are terrified of going back to the classroom and equally dissatisfied with the results they are seeing from online learning. We are in unprecedented times which call for selfless leadership and creative solutions. Let's lead by example in Collier County together, united as a community. Knowing this is not the governing body able to address this, I will be sending proposed markold [sic] to the CCPS board based on your decision today, and by uniting as a community, our voice can be heard loud and clear to those that need to hear it on the state level. I believe if the decision's made today going forward, if it's just in saving the life of just one mother, just one child, or just one teacher, that in saving that one single life, it would be enough for us to sleep right knowing that we made the correct decision. That is the Collier I grew up in, and that is the new normal I am working tirelessly toward. I hope that you agree and will join me in this noble and worthy enterprise. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Deborah Cruise. She'll July 21, 2020 Page 36 be followed by Dean Parave, Diane Baldasaro, and then Lois Bolin. Ms. Cruise, are you with us? MS. CRUISE: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, ma'am. MS. CRUISE: Thank you very much. I want to extend my gratitude to Commissioner Taylor for being willing to listen to and acknowledge new information and make a change in what she believes we should be doing with face masks. Obviously, I support the use of face masks out in public. I also want to acknowledge that our president, Donald Trump, has even hedged on whether he believes we should wear face masks and is moving forward starting to wear a face mask a little bit more. So, thank you all for considering keeping us all safe and keeping us -- caring for all of us here in Collier County. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dean Parave. He'll be followed by Diane Baldasaro, Lois Bolin, and then Douglas Weingarten. MR. PARAVE: Good morning. I'm totally against the mask wearing. I do upholstery, and I deal with fabric all the time. The COVID-19 is a size to 80 to 14 [sic] nanometer. Fabric starts at 150. So, explain to me how a fabric mask is going to stop this, okay. Maybe a visual of some things would be a little bit better for you people. Okay. We didn't start wearing masks at this point, so why are we starting to wear masks at this point? It's the same point. We should have done it here. You know, I'd like to know what changed. And for my last argument on all this is these people wear masks their whole lives, and there's no saying that they have it. So, it's not working to wear a mask. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Diane Baldasaro, July 21, 2020 Page 37 followed by Lois Bolin, Douglas Weingarten, and Joe Gonzales. Ms. Baldasaro, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Okay. Let's try Douglas Weingarten. Mr. Weingarten, are you with us, sir? Douglas Weingarten. (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. I'm going to give Oscar just a second. Well, let's just go with Lois Bolin here in the room. Ms. Bolin. MS. BOLIN: Good morning, Commissioners. I'm here to say I am opposed to the mandate, but I'm opposed to them as a Republican and a constitutional Republican to say that we believe in smaller government. We say we believe in individual choice, and our actions should follow our beliefs and words. Our government should not be involved in ordering people what to wear on their faces. Last week I heard the word "self-reliant." Self-reliant. We rely upon people to make the right decision and the best decision. That was basically the foundation of our Republic, self-reliance, the freedom to work hard for our American dream. You know, Collier County was called the final frontier for a good reason. It was a final place that was settled by entrepreneurs and tough people who came down here. And we just lost Wynn Turner. I'm sure all of you know Mr. Turner. And I started thinking about those guys, and I said, I wonder what Bubba Frank and the Turner boys and John Pulling would think if you got up here and said, okay, you guys are going to have to wear a mask. I know what they'd say to your face. I also know what they would say when you turned your back. So, I'm pretty much asking, trust your people, trust the public. The businesses are doing the right thing, but to start to come in July 21, 2020 Page 38 and put this mandate on, it’s just not a good idea. So, thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Douglas Weingarten followed by Joe Gonzales, Dr. Marcia Maloni, and then Kristina Heuser. Mr. Weingarten, are you with us, sir? MR. WEINGARTEN: Yes. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. You have two minutes, sir. MR. WEINGARTEN: Well, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak. I'm glad I got to hear some of the previous speakers. My name is Doug Weingarten. I'm a local bartender, and my wife's a local educator going back to school on the 5th, as far as we know. After hearing some of the previous speakers, I'm glad we -- it's good to know that we really need some education in Collier County. As a bartender, I haven't been working since March, and I'm glad for it. I'd rather be home with my daughter being safe than making money, because health is more important than money. Not even my health, but the health of the residents of our county. I believe that, as commissioners, you should feel the same. My daughter is two years old, and I'm happy to keep her safe. Whenever we have to go outside for whatever reason, she puts on a mask. She doesn't necessarily understand why. We have to pretend that she's a superhero, but as adults, you all should understand why. And I don't understand how, you know, children can understand -- like, can wear masks. What's the worst part? You look silly. As a previous person said, you know, if you can just save one life, even if there's a minute chance of somebody not contracting this disease, what's the worst that can happen? I want to reopen more July 21, 2020 Page 39 than -- you know, as much as anybody else. It doesn't make any sense. You had your time to not have to wear a mask, but the numbers have gone up, so give us a shot. Give us a shot, enact the mandate. And with schools -- they're mandating masks in schools. Children follow the example of their parents. It should be mandated in public if it's mandated in schools; otherwise, children are never going to wear it. They're going to cough all over each other. They're going to get their parents sick, their siblings sick, their teachers sick. Numbers are going to skyrocket, and we're never going to reopen at that rate. This is not a political issue. This is a public-health issue, and making it a political issue is, in fact, insulting. I -- long story short, if you're against the mask you're an idiot. I'm for the mask. Thank you for your time. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker will be Joe Gonzales, followed by Dr. Marcia Maloni, Kristina Heuser, and then Drew-Montez Clark. MR. GONZALES: Good morning. Thank you. The emperors have no clothes. That's from the children's book that's used when obvious truths are denied by others especially when proclaimed by government. You sit on a throne of lies. America used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave. Business owners and people are perfectly capable of making their own choices. It's already established that if business owners require masks that it would result in trespassing. What exactly are you looking for? What is your end game? We've already flattened the curve. What are the numbers that you're going to rely on? You're relying on false and fraudulent data. According to the MSN, the International Journal of Geriatrics and Rehabilitation July 21, 2020 Page 40 published a study that said 50 percent of the nucleic acid test kits provided by the CDC produced inaccurate results. What other virus has the government beg tens of thousands of asymptomatic people to get tested again and again? More testing equals more cases. People walking by each other is no proof of passing the virus. Fifty percent of the deaths in Florida are from nursing homes, and most deaths are from people who have very serious health issues or are elderly. You think the cloth mask that Aunt Millie sews for her bridge club works to save lives? The emperors have no clothes. You are simply looking for compliance and appeasement, not health benefits. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons showed in a recent study that cloth masks are only 10 to 30 percent efficiency, that 70 to 90 percent will still get through. I believe you're all out -- selling us out for corporate interest. You are looking to establish a precedent for future laws in Collier County. Mr. Solis said last week that companies want to travel here. I don't believe that they're planning trips right now for their employees. And he indicated he is willing to sacrifice our personal freedoms and force us down and be held by the police to inject vaccines in our bodies. Communism is when a few big interests work alongside the government to take over all the resources and control our lives. I believe we have some Communists in our government right now. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dr. Marcia Maloni. She'll be followed by Kristina Heuser, Elie -- or Drew-Montez Clark, and then Alfie Oakes. Dr. Maloni, are you with us? DR. MALONI: I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You'll have two minutes. July 21, 2020 Page 41 DR. MALONI: Penny Taylor, I'm so impressed you actually listened to me when I quoted the hairdressers in Missouri. You wanted some facts, and I appreciate that. A new report from Goldman Sachs indicates that a nationwide face mask mandate could lower COVID-19 infections and help economic recovery. A mask mandate could take the place of renewed lockdowns that would make the economy even worse and cut GDP by 5 percent. If a face mask mandate meaningfully lowers coronavirus infections, it could be invaluable not only from a public-health perspective, but from the economic perspective. Recent research revealed that the states that mandated masks had lower increases of COVID cases, and those who did not mandate saw an increase, more than 78,000 in Italy from April 6th to May 9th, and by more than 66,000 in New York City from April to May. In addition, the researchers argued that while recommendations like social distancing and frequent hand washing slowed the epidemic, the dramatic reduction in viral transmissions in Italy and New York occurred only after wearing masks. It will be so difficult to open schools in your COVID -- if your COVID numbers continue to rise in Florida. There is a lawsuit by state teachers right now because they're scared to death to go back to schools. If we open up schools and kids get sick or teachers get sick, we will have to close them again. I guarantee you the anger you're seeing now over to wear a mask or not will be nothing like the anger of parents whose children get sick in the schools. All of you have to be concerned about not mandating mask, which will increase deaths and these deaths being on your conscience. Thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Kristina Hauser. She will be followed by Drew-Montez Clark, Alfie Oakes, and Elie Hart. July 21, 2020 Page 42 You have two minutes, ma'am. MS. HAUSER: Thank you. Good morning, Commissioners. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed to be back here again on this issue, and I'm disheartened for two reasons. Needless to say, I'm very opposed to any sort of mandate, face mask mandate, but also just the manner in which you conduct business, voting no on something and then bringing us back a week later to change your vote and giving people less than 24 hours' notice to come down and be heard, I think, is just not the proper way to conduct yourselves. You think that you're listening to your constituents by voting in support of this mandate. And, you know, maybe you have heard from 50, 100, even 200 people who are driven by fear and are begging you to make masks mandatory, but I would argue that that doesn't represent a majority of your constituency. I'm happy that we have so many liberty-loving people here in the audience addressing you today. But conservatives, I think, by nature, don't reach out to government when they are faced with a problem. They deal with it themselves. I think Commissioner McDaniel made this statement a couple of weeks ago maybe on a different issue, but he doesn't wake up in the morning and think, what can government do for me today. And I'm paraphrasing. And I don't either. I'm responsible for my own health. And you only need to look at the numbers to know that this fear is irrational. I'm going to move on since I only have 30 seconds left. Palm Beach County enacted an ordinance, there has been a legal challenge to it, and there's a hearing today, actually, on preliminary injunction. So, while these mandates have been struck down in other states, we'll have a decision possibly as soon as today about the legality of a July 21, 2020 Page 43 mandate here in Florida. So, I'd urge you to at least wait to decide until you hear that. Additionally, in that lawsuit it cites Florida Statutes Section 252.38 which says that any emergency order needs to be reviewed every seven days. So, you'll be coming back here every week all summer long if you choose to enact this. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Elie Hart. She will be followed by Alfie Oakes, then Erika Smith, and then Steven Bracci. Ms. Hart, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Elie Hart, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Ms. Hart? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. We're going to try to reach out to her. Okay. Let's try Erika Smith. Erika Smith. We'll give her one more second. Ms. Smith, is that you? MS. SMITH: That is me. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, Ms. Smith. Thank you. MS. SMITH: All right. My name is Erika Smith. I'm a full-time resident in Naples, a biologist, a wife, and a mother of two. Initially, when I moved here in April, I had been so impressed with how I felt my liberties and freedoms had been upheld within this county. To be made aware of the last-minute vote to make a mask mandate in the county has left me feeling terrified. As a biologist and a common-sense-using individual, I am aware that the use of masks does not protect me or others from contracting this particular or any other particular strain of a flu. You don't have July 21, 2020 Page 44 to agree with me on this, but we can agree that the data on this has been inconclusive. On the other hand, there is conclusive data that a poor diet filled with sugar, fast food, and highly processed foods will cause diabetes and heart disease which, by the way, is responsible for over 600 [sic] deaths per year in America, yet we see no mandates to remove candy, sodas, and closing fast food restaurants. I find it highly offensive that the government thinks I can be fooled into feeling safe by placing a piece of fabric in front of my mouth and nose. You already got what you wanted. Stores are making their own decisions. Now let free market do its own work. Please now allow me the choice to make this decision on my own. Please do not force me to wear a mask. Vote no mandate on the mask. Thank you. MR. MILLER: All right. I'm told Mr. Drew-Montez Clark is not online but is in the room; is that correct? Mr. Clark, you'll be our next speaker then. Mr. Clark will be followed by Gary Gendron, Alfie Oakes, and then George Metropoulos. MR. CLARK: So I am -- my name is Drew-Montez Clark. I was here on the 14th. And there's a lot of information that was presented with regard to facts and data, and I'm not really sure if we're choosing to cherry pick the data that coincides with what we want or we're looking at the data as a whole, because there's not a scientific consensus as to what we're trying to mandate. There is data that supports it, there's also data that refutes it, and the people on either side are just as qualified. So, when this is the case, I believe we should exercise small government and not infringe on people's right to choose. July 21, 2020 Page 45 Businesses have a right to choose. Private businesses have a right to choose, but people have a right to choose where they spend their money at the same time. I'm going to read an email here, because I presented an email -- and I'm stepping away from data because people are presenting it, and it seems to be ignored. In the very beginning we showed that rate of increase for COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks was less than the rate of increase for the previous two weeks, which shows a positive direction in the rate of increase, but we chose to ignore that. With regard to this, I'm reminded of a book called Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand which coincides with what we're currently in. In that, if more people understood the responsibility of demands [sic] and the toll it takes, they would run away from it, not towards. I know how you feel. You're between a rock and a hard place, but I saw your capacity to lead during the last meeting as you displayed your ability to separate emotion from your capacity to reason and make decisions absent of fear. I also know that you received a tremendous amount of backlash for voting your conscience. My question to you is simple: Is your position worth your conscience, conviction, soul, constitution, this flag, and America? When we start making decisions that go against the core beliefs, then we begin that we eat away at the essence of who we are. To infringe upon the rights of a group of constituents based upon inconclusive science because a portion of the constituents are emotional and afraid violates every oath that we take to defend and protect the Constitution. The community voted you in not because they believe you'd do what's right, but what's best for them, and what's right is not always what's best, especially when it's led by emotion and fear. July 21, 2020 Page 46 Often -- I only ask that you vote objectively based on data and the consideration as a fellow American. Would you like to be forced to do something to your person that you disagree with because other people were emotional? I for one am tired of being bullied into submission and condemned by other people who are emotional. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. CLARK: If you choose to wear it, it's great. If you choose not to wear it, I think that's a constitutional right. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Gary Gendron. He'll be followed by Alfie Oakes, George Metropoulos, and then Steven Bracci. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind our speakers -- I know you're trying to get a lot of information in, but the court reporter is trying to take everything down, so let's try to be mindful of that. Your next speaker is Gary Gendron. Mr. Gendron, are you with us? MR. GENDRON: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. MR. GENDRON: Thank you. I would advise you to vote no on mandate mask wearing. Any medical intervention must be shown to be safe and effective for FDA approval. Masks have not been proven to be safe to wear or effective in preventing the spread of viral diseases. MR. MILLER: I don't know if -- MR. GENDRON: While many states and local communities have unintended consequences -- hello? MR. MILLER: Yes, go ahead, sir. MR. GENDRON: -- unintended consequences of the mask requirement. Wearing a mask is a choice. Why I choose not to wear a mask; it may negatively impact my health. Masks have not been proven to be effective. The risk of asymptomatic individual July 21, 2020 Page 47 infecting others appears to be very low, and mask mandates are unconstitutional, and I maintain the freedom to choose how I protect my health in a nonmedical setting. Thank you for your time. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Alfie Oakes. He'll be followed by George Woodman, Steven Bracci, and then Gloria Hagopian. Mr. Oakes, you have two minutes. MR. OAKES: Yeah. I'd like to say that it's disgraceful that we're back here again. Most disgraceful is Penny Taylor's comments to me yesterday where she said that the truth does not matter. The truth doesn't matter. The truth doesn't matter to the Health Department. The bullshit that they -- the number they give you, they're all -- they're false numbers. We've caught them making false numbers. They make these graphs that are completely, completely to scare people. So, we know the truth doesn't matter. So, we're not going to talk about the mask, but we're going to talk about government. We're still back to -- because we know eight times the people died two years ago here with the regular influenza virus, but we weren't wearing masks then. The reason Penny Taylor's made this decision is because of the Chamber of Commerce and some big corporations that pressured her into making this decision, because they know that the local businesses -- I'm not going to have a mask at my place. We're not -- I'm not going to have a mask. I'll wear handcuffs before I'll wear a mask. I can guarantee you that. We will never -- we will never make anyone in Seed to Table wear a mask. And you will see a huge amount of business, because that's where the people want to come. They feel normal again. We're healthy. Nobody's dying. None of my kids -- I had one son July 21, 2020 Page 48 that lost his taste. I'm sure he had COVID. We didn't get him tested because who cares? None of us have COVID. It goes against your whole supporting fact that -- because the hairdressers. It's ridiculous. Some people have a healthy virone (phonetic). They don't have any problems with it. Also, there's going to be a huge burden on the county. I'm going to sue the county with every bit of my being. I'm going to hire the lawyers. You're going to be -- you're going to be fighting this. We're going to come against everyone with the full capacity of the law. And the last thing I'd like to say is you just got -- you cannot govern based on fear and lack of logic. We have to use facts here. We have to use the truth. The truth does matter. The truth really does matter. Our country was based on the truth. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is George Woodman. He'll be followed by Steven Bracci, Gloria Hagopian, and then Jason Beal. Mr. Woodman, are you with us, sir? (No response.) MR. MILLER: George Woodman, are you with us, sir? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Let's try -- Oscar, let's move on. Let's try Gloria Hagopian. Gloria Hagopian, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Let's go -- let's go with Steven Bracci here in the room. I want to remind you people remotely, when we call your name, you need to make sure you un-mute your microphone at your end. We're going to go with Steven Bracci, and then hopefully either George Woodman or Gloria Hagopian after that. July 21, 2020 Page 49 Mr. Bracci, you have two minutes. MR. BRACCI: Thank you. The stated reason today for us coming back here by Commissioner Taylor, the compelling state interests we're addressing is that, quote, people are frightened, they want security, and that the people from the northeastern United States expect masks when they come down here in November. Well, first of all, it's July. Is the implication here that we're going to be wearing masks not only till November, but then the five months of season thereafter? That's eight months. That's pretty scary. Second, the solution is that for their fear, to have people overcome their fear, is that everyone wears a mask, including healthy people. Healthy people have to have the free flow of oxygen cut off, both inhaling and exhaling, you know, the byproducts of being a human being. Where's the study that shows that a mask mandate will resolve the fear in population? Because that's what you said today. We've got to overcome that fear. Moreover, how is that fear resolved by having, arbitrarily, masks in businesses but not offices, not restaurants, not the beach, which you guys closed twice for COVID concerns, but now you're not closing? Did they suddenly become COVID immune? It makes no sense. None of this makes sense. If you want to address people's fears, educate them in and how small, how minuscule the risk of having any significant health effect or risk of death is if they catch COVID. Winston Churchill addressed fear during the blitzkrieg by coming out onto the streets and showing the people that they can keep calm and carry on. I have a suggestion to overcome fear. Take off the props, the face props that you're wearing, vote no, and show some fortitude. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Gloria Hagopian. She July 21, 2020 Page 50 will be followed by Jason Beal and -- hold on just a second here -- someone, okay. Gloria Hagopian, Jason Beal, Hannah Wild, and then Jim Kalvin. Ms. Hagopian, are you there? MS. HAGOPIAN: Yes. My name is Gloria Hagopian, and I'm a required professor of nursing, and I am in favor of face masks. Thank you for being willing to revisit this issue. We're in a health crisis that's made an impact on all of our lives. It's affected us economically, socially, and psychologically. The research now shows that the virus lingers in the air, and we all know about what the experts tell us to do: Wash your hands, keep a distance, and wear a mask. I admire you all, especially Commissioner Taylor, for listening, reconsidering your thinking, and calling for another look at mandatory masks in public. It takes courage to change your position or hold your position on such an emotionally charged issue, and I admire you for doing the right thing. Our president and our governor have failed us, and I hope that the Board will protect our health and safety and will require face masks in public. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jason Beal. He'll be followed by Hannah Wild, Jim Kalvin, and Helene Naimon. Mr. Beal, you have two minutes. MR. BEAL: Hi. This is disgraceful. This is the third time in three weeks. This is actually, I believe, our fifth time here for this. You just won't stop until you get the answer. Penny, it's a shame. You sent out to people saying your reason for this was emotional because somebody sent it to you. Now you come in here today and say this group that is all part of federated retailing all wants the big businesses to have masks and the small business now also. July 21, 2020 Page 51 Every business I go to that's a personal smaller business that does not have masks is busy, and they're not going to the bigger retailers because of that. All you're doing right now is setting up to put small business out of business. And you know it's not based on facts. You admit it, Penny. Andy, two weeks ago, or last week, said he's got -- he's going to vaccine us next. This needs to stop. The numbers have gone down. Point 0014 death rate, and we're going to put everybody in a mask now? How about three months ago when it really was a concern, and then our numbers came way down, and now we're in Florida, and our -- yes, testing is going up. That's great. We're getting closer to herd immunity. That's all that means. And as we get more positive tests, guess what else goes down, our death rate, because we're finding out more and more and more people had it. In fact, they're starting to believe that we've had it around here since September. So what is the reason for this? Why are we putting muzzles on people? Why are we doing this? It's been proven scientifically that it spreads disease. We've got four people with Legionnaire's disease right now at NCH from wearing masks. Do you know the lawsuits you're going to get? Do you know the lawsuits that are going to go against these companies that are mandating this right now? OSHA won't let you mandate -- they used to not to -- mandate masks for people unless you went through a medical certification first. Then the company could say, yes, we can put you in a mask all day. Your surgical mask, 20 to 30 minutes is useless. It's already considered loaded and filled with bacteria. It is dangerous for you to wear at this point. You've been sitting here for over an hour. The girl from WINK News, I watched her out here. Within two July 21, 2020 Page 52 minutes, I counted 20 times she touched her mask, removed it around [sic], did her little thing, and then I looked at her, I go, you're moving your mask around. You've touched it, in two minutes, 20 times. Well, I'm not really -- and the other point is, it doesn't matter what we put on our face. You just want something on our face. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Hannah Wild. She'll be followed by Jim Kalvin, Helene Naimon, and Falynne Miller. Ms. Wild, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: She is not there. Helene Naimon. Helene Naimon. I don't know if I'm pronouncing it right. Are you with us? Helene? MS. NAIMON: I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have two minutes. MS. NAIMON: Okay. As a retired teacher, I find this amazing that we don't listen anymore to people that supposedly know better than us. It reminds me of the old TV show, who do you trust, actually, whom do you trust. The CDC, NIH, I would like to trust them, and I commend them for changing their views on masks when they realized that, perhaps, they were wrong. And I say that to wear a mask now, to mandate it, is the prudent thing to do. Let's see what happens if our rates go down. Right now everyone feels sorry for us. We're locked down here in Florida. I'm not going to go back up northeast. I'd have to have a 14-day in-house suspension, so to speak. Measles vaccines, when people start not using them in schools, the rates went way up. Government is here to protect us. And I'm sorry, but not everybody really cares about protecting everybody else. And I think that we have to protect ourselves from others as well who July 21, 2020 Page 53 don't believe in wearing masks. I, for one, it doesn't matter what political party anyone belongs to. I'm willing to wear a mask to help protect others, and let's see where this leads. They've found that immunity from having the disease perhaps does not last as long as we thought, maybe a few months; therefore, nothing right now is certain. But what's certain now is let's wear a mask, protect ourselves and others and the perception that Collier County is a safe place to travel to. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jim Kalvin. He'll be followed by Isabelle Dorn, Falynne Miller, and then James Melican. Mr. Kalvin, you have two minutes. MR. KALVIN: Thank you. Interesting that we found out just a little bit ago from a caller that this is all predicated on a thirdhand hearsay story of the hairdressers. I'm not a doctor. I'm a contractor. And I can tell you that I don't see one mask in this room that would keep drywall dust out of the back of your throat. You could sand that wall, and you'd have more in your sinuses than would be on the front of the mask. It's a charade. We're living in a fearful time. You're perpetuating that fear. The mainstream media drives the fear. It scares people. I'm scared. I'm scared you're going to keep coming after this, you're going to put a mask on me, and then what? Going to stick a needle in me? My clients are still down here. They stayed this summer. They don't want to go back up north where they have to wear a mask. They don't like it. They don't feel comfortable. Sixty-five thousand people a year die from the regular influenza, and there is a vaccine. Where does it stop? Statistics will say anything you want to if you torture them long July 21, 2020 Page 54 enough. And I'm not an anti-masker. If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. But what you're doing is you're making people fearful of people like me who are healthy who work outside. And I have never gone up to anybody and said, you're an idiot for wearing a mask, but I've had it with people that you're scaring coming up to me and giving me crap about it. It's time to grow some. It's time to be common sense and protect our rights. We shouldn't have to come to the government to preserve our rights. You should do that for us. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Isabelle Dorn. She'll be followed by Falynne Miller, then Jill Melican, and then Tara Crete. Ms. Dorn, are you with us, ma'am? MS. DORN: Yes, I am. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: After the next speaker, we're going to take a little break. MR. MILLER: All right, sir. Ms. Dorn, you have two minutes. Please begin. MS. DORN: Thank you. Mr. Chairman, my name is Isabelle Dorn, and I support a mask ordinance in Collier County. By now, you have heard the medical expertise about mask wearing being the least invasive way to keep businesses open and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A mask ordinance would not inhibit our freedom. It would increase it. Although I am 18 and healthy, I am wearing a mask in public and staying at home as much as possible to protect my mother, who is a leukemia survivor. My family is not free to leave our house. We are not free to shop in the stores. The Collier County School Board has required masks in school for the next year. If the children of our community can wear masks, why can't everyone else? July 21, 2020 Page 55 Please vote yes for a mask ordinance. Thank you for your time. MR. MILLER: Mr. Chairman, did you want to take your recess now? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. Let's break until 10:50. That will give everybody 15 minutes. Is that all right? All right. We're in recess until 10:50. (A brief recess was had from 10:34 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ladies and gentlemen, the meeting of the County Commission will please come to order. If you would take your seats. And, Troy, if you could start with the next speaker. MR. MILLER: All right. Mr. Chairman, we're going to start with Jamie Kliewe online followed by Falynne Miller, then Joan Saperstein, and then Tara Crete. Jamie, I'm not sure if I'm saying your last name right. K-l-i-e-w-e. Are you with us? MS. KLIEWE: Hello? MR. MILLER: Yes, is this Jamie? MS. KLIEWE: Hello? MR. MILLER: Yes. Hello. MS. KLIEWE: Hello? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Let's go to the next speaker while you're trying to figure that out. MR. MILLER: All right. Let's mute that, Oscar. Falynne Miller, are you here in the room? Falynne Miller? Falynne Miller will be followed -- we will try Jamie Kliewe again after Falynne Miller, then Tara Crete, and then Joan Saperstein. Ms. Miller, you have two minutes. MS. MILLER: I'm not here to talk about constitutionality; we'll see you in court for that. I'm not here to discuss science with you, because you've been plied with fact after fact and number after July 21, 2020 Page 56 number, and you don't care. You've told us that you are here to be emotional driven. I don't usually make things about myself. I don't call on government to take care of me. But I'm here today with my own personal story because that seems to be what moves you. I have a disability, and I cannot wear a mask in a store and, yet, I have to announce to the world that I have a disability, and I have to be subject to the arbitrary scrutiny of a store clerk whether I get access to groceries. What about my autistic family member who has a sensory issue? He has a single mother. I read in your order where there can be exemptions. You can use delivery or you can do urban curbside but you don't have to go in if the store doesn't let you. What about that single mother? She'll put on a mask. She'll sacrifice herself to this to be a law-abiding citizen to get food for her table, but her autistic son can't. She can get turned away from a store? Why is that right? What about my -- what about my friend who was held down and brutely violated with a hand over her face who has to revisit that episode every single time she goes out? It's not fair. It's not right that government mandates this. You want to know what's really going on? Why are we not talking about sex trafficking? Why are we not talking about how masks hide the victims as well as the perpetrators? Have a sit-down conversation with your sheriff about how this is hindering those investigations going on here, across the state, and across the country. Shame on you. MR. MILLER: Your next public speaker is Jamie Kliewe. She will be followed Tara Crete, Joan Saperstein, and Matt Hoover. Jamie, are -- it's K-l-i-e-w-e. Jamie, are you with us? MS. KLIEWE: That is me, yes. Thank you very much. Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to speak. I am July 21, 2020 Page 57 Jamie Kliewe. I'm a concerned citizen and business owner here in Collier County. Listened to some very intelligent fact -- you know, fact-finding people that are bringing information, so I'm not going to repeat those things. What is concerning to me is that we are not paying attention to truths; that we are operating based on fear. Fear, fear, fear. My area of business is about stress management, is about holistic living. Someone mentioned it about keep ourselves healthy. We're not paying attention to any of that data, and we're basically talking about -- we're making decisions based on people's fear. Fear that we are propagating. One thing that has not been brought up that I do want to bring up -- because I am calling for an investigation. I work in a medical building that operates doing COVID rapid testing, and if I had not seen this for my own two eyes, I may not believe it myself. But when they opened up rapid testing for everybody that wanted to know, what I have seen in my building is mind boggling. Thousands and thousands of people over the last, what, four weeks when this thing opened up in the parking lot driving through, people getting tested multiples of times. What are we looking at in terms of our process and procedures? I've talked to the doctors. How are we able to even possibly keep accurate track of this data? It's impossible. We need to know what the processes and procedures are. I wanted to bring up one more thing, and if I hadn't heard it for myself I might not believe it. I have firsthand numerous people that have stood in line, filled out their paperwork for the test, decided not to stay for the test, and they got phone calls that their tests were positive. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. July 21, 2020 Page 58 MS. KLIEWE: Something is wrong. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. Your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Tara Crete. She'll be followed by James Melican, then Matt Hoover, and then Joan Saperstein. MS. CRETE: Good morning. I'd like to say that I'm happy to be here, but that's not really true. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my morning today. I'm a realtor and a property manager here in Naples, and I'm the sole provider of my household. People from other states are moving here in droves because of the freedom that Florida offers us. The shutdown in March took thousands of dollars out of my pocket and many, many other people in this town. If we glance back at recent history, I ask you, why didn't the first lockdown work? Why didn't the masks work then? What makes you think they're going to work this time? If it worked so well wearing a mask, how is it that the virus has gotten worse, and what makes you think it will help? Last week we fought for our right to choose whether or not to wear masks. We spent our entire day here speaking our hearts and our minds, and we actually made a difference, and we were so proud of the three commissioners who actually voted to grant their constituents the right to decide whether they want to wear a muzzle or not. As Americans and residents of Collier County, that was a proud moment for personal freedom, and we were very relieved. Now we hear that Penny Taylor's had a change of heart. I'm not completely aware of the rules for calling an emergency meeting, but is having a change of heart one of the valid reasons to call this meeting? Many residents are suggesting that Penny is being paid off to reverse her position. Is this true? An emotional response is the last July 21, 2020 Page 59 thing that we need from you, our leaders right now. What has happened to your critical thinking? Where's your common sense? You know there is zero science to support your claim that masks make people safer. It even says so right on the box of the N95 masks. It does not protect against the prevention of the coronavirus. Why are you ignoring this? I'm prepared to sign a class action suit that is being prepared against the county. We are not going to comply with your tyrannical rules. We are not going to wear a mask regardless of your baseless mandate. You can arrest all of us if you'd like. If you are being paid off, Penny -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. MS. CRETE: -- enjoy it. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is James Melican. He'll be followed by Matt Hoover, Joan Saperstein, and Kevin Campanolla. Mr. Melican, are you with us, sir? MR. MELICAN: Yes, I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. You have two minutes. MR. MELICAN: Good. My name is James Melican. I'm the president of the Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums which, for those of who are not familiar with it, is an association of 76 high-rise and low-rise condominiums along Gulf Shore Boulevard North in the City of Naples. We have been watching developments very, very carefully. A week ago I wrote a letter that was initially addressed to Penny Taylor and then copied to all other commissioners as well as the County Manager to state that DSAC is very much in favor of having a mandated face mask emergency order. The reasons for that are that we are very concerned about, as of the most recent date, of 15.57 percent rate of infection, and in the ZIP code in which all of July 21, 2020 Page 60 our members live -- and we have 4,600 residences, many of which, of course, are unoccupied at the moment. But in that area, the number of infections in the week since I -- since I sent the letter has increased by 38 percent in ZIP code 34103. What are we waiting for? How much higher are we going to let it become until we do what seems to be a relatively simple task that would be a minor inconvenience to most people? I think that the Board should get on with it and take the action that, frankly, it should have taken a week ago. Thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Matt Hoover. He will be followed by Joan Saperstein and then Kevin Campanolla and then John Dwyer. Mr. Hoover, you have two minutes. MR. HOOVER: Thank you for having me. I've been a resident of Naples for 43 years. And the first thing that I'd like to say, this talk about big business supporting this action of masks, anybody that's not living on Mars knows that they are agenda driven from the very top, and it's a radical agenda. I sent each and every one of you a video done by Tammy Herrera -- Herama yesterday. And I know you're busy and maybe you've not viewed it, but she's a PPP expert -- PPE expert, which that term gets thrown around loosely. She reiterated how masks are totally ineffective. COVID-19 is a micron of .125. The best mask, which would be the N95 -- which, by the way, when you are passing those around is legally against OSHA laws, especially at a business without being properly fitted, your oxygen levels, et cetera, et cetera. The best that they do is .3. Now, who is my wife going to sue? Because I suffer from P -- COPD. If I suffer from hypercapnia or, even worse, pleursea [sic], which can cause a heart attack. Who does she sue for that July 21, 2020 Page 61 mandate? And, finally, all these magical graphs that we get to see, I'd like to see one showing the death rate, not only the death rate, but at what age it's happening. Because we all know that a certain amount of people are susceptible from being affected by COVID-19. Finally, I would encourage everybody to look up the study that was done in Iceland on children going to school. They did 2,000 kids, a very comprehensive contact tracing. Guess how many infections? Zero. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. MR. HOOVER: Same thing with Norway. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Your time's up, sir. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Joan Saperstein. She'll be followed by Kevin Campanolla, John Dwyer, and Don Perkins. Ms. Saperstein, are you with us? MS. SAPERSTEIN: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, ma'am. MS. SAPERSTEIN: My name is Joan Saperstein, and I am in favor of the mask mandate. Thank you, Commissioners, for revisiting this important issue. I'm at our part-time home up north. I've spoken to many of our friends who are also snowbirds. We are all waiting to see if things approve [sic] in Florida before -- or if we even return to Florida this fall. If things don't drastically improve, we will be enduring a cold winter which is, in my mind, a better option than being exposed to COVID. I just wonder why we didn't -- why we can't wear masks to protect our family and friends when the real science shows it works. It beats a ventilator. We have a large older population with underlying health issues that they cannot help who are at risk who are more susceptible. July 21, 2020 Page 62 After all, we are not talking about wearing a mask all day. We are talking about wearing a mask for short periods of time. Companies like Publix, Costco, and others are requiring masks on their premises. They're protecting our citizens. Why won't our Collier County Government? This is not a political issue. It's a medical issue. The government protects us from secondhand smoke. We all have to wear seat belts. Is it depriving you of your rights? I think not. I think we need to do what we can to try masks. It's an easy solution. Thank you, again, Commissioners, for having this extra meeting. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Kevin Campanolla. He will be followed by John Dwyer, then Don Perkins, and Annisa Karim. Mr. Campanolla, you have two minutes. MR. CAMPANOLLA: There are lies, there are damn lies, and then there's statistics. You know, I think we know what we're all dealing with here. I'm all for free choice. I have zero objections to anyone who wants to wear a mask. You know, they should wear a mask. If it makes them feel better, if it makes them feel safer, I'm all for it. But it goes both ways. If people are more comfortable without a mask, that's also their choice. Everyone speaking up against mandate masks risk public backlash from a small outspoken radicalized and scientifically uninformed set of people. The science is no longer a factor. It's actually a hindrance in their case. These arguments are based on emotion, as we've talked about before, not science. If the masks are that effective, then the people July 21, 2020 Page 63 that want to wear them will be protected by wearing them. Everyone doesn't have to wear them if they're that effective. I'm a local business owner. I have a barbershop. We've been a part of the community for 15 years. We serve between 2,000, maybe 2,500 clients a month. I have the ability to interact and have relationships with all the clients. It gives me a unique ability to talk to a large demographic in a more private setting where they're much more open to speak their minds rather than having to fear the far-left backlash and public shaming that seems now to be the new normal. Everybody loves the new normal, right? You know, shaming's the name of the game now. It's like we're a bunch of five-year-olds in here. You know, I'm close to -- I'm closer to people than just about every profession. I'm all over everybody. I'm rubbing everybody's heads. I'm in their face. We're breathing each other's airs. No one's gotten sick. There's no one in my shop that's gotten sick. None of the clients. None of the barbers. You know, I've talked to -- I've talked to, you know, doctors from Arthrex who you guys referenced earlier that don't believe in their owner's opinion. I've talked to multiple doctors at local hospitals, emergency, medical, surgical, general practitioners, none of them share your beliefs. You know, politics demands that politicians be seen doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is more harmful than doing nothing at all. That's why we're here now. You know, where we go one, we go all. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is John Dwyer. He'll be followed by Don Perkins, Annisa Karim, and Johnathan Dallinari. Mr. Dwyer, are you with us, sir? John Dwyer, are you with us, sir? MR. DWYER: Yes, I am. July 21, 2020 Page 64 MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. MR. DWYER: We should fear COVID. We must quit arguing and calling the pandemic a hoax and other names, such as Cuban communist, and making threats to sue. Instead, let's join together in a clear mandate to wear masks, not muzzles, for a specific time. Some cite their constitutional rights as rationales for not mandating masks, others, that masks don't work well. Mr. Solis' and Ms. Taylor's main point is clearly that we must follow the prescription of Dr. Fauci and the Collier's own physicians. Doing nothing certainly won't stop COVID. The anti-mask position seems to be a brain-eating organism that enters through our eyes and ears. If masks are not mandated and we continue on the present course, our commissioners and other leaders will bear the burden of being responsible for pursuing only a laissez-faire campaign against a dangerous pandemic. My right to sally forth to the store and my farmworkers' friends to return to Immokalee for grocery store or work must not be a death- defying trek through crowds of unmasked people. Smart people do not take their medical advice from politicians. Efforts to discredit Dr. Fauci, our nation's top infectious disease expert are disingenuous. Why are people reluctant to admit mistakes or accept scientific findings, even when those findings can save lives? This dynamic is playing out during the pandemic among many people who refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing. Human beings are deeply unwilling to change their minds. And when the facts clash with their preexisting convictions, some people would sooner jeopardize their health and everyone else's than accept new information or admit to being wrong. Law and order means mask or handcuffs, Alfie. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Don Perkins. He'll be July 21, 2020 Page 65 followed by Annisa Karim, Johnathan Dallinari, and Linda Turner. Mr. Perkins, sir, you have two minutes. MR. PERKINS: Thank you. You all opened this meeting with a prayer. Now, whether you really believe what you pray, I don't know, but I do know that God is in control. You think we all are. We're not. But we need to actually, as a nation, to ask for forgiveness and to bend our knee and to repent. And what, as a nation, do we have to really repent for? How about the 65 million children that we take every -- since the beginning, 65 million. You're talking 140,000, and everybody's all upset. Well, I feel for anyone that has passed from this disease, but also I know that every year people die, all the time. And I also, when I'm watching TV and I see these reports, I just don't know what to believe because they change their minds all the time. But I do believe what God says. Love is the answer. We've got to start caring about each other. We need to repent. And God can heal this land. And whether he puts it down here or he allows it to be here, I just know that we are doing wrong, and we can solve this problem, and without masks or with masks if people want to wear them. But I also have issues with physical things, and breathing. I had a heart attack a few years ago, but I am not going to wear a mask. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, sir. Your time is up. MR. PERKINS: Okay. Thank you. God bless you all. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Annisa Karim. She'll be followed by Johnathan Dallinari, Linda Turner, and Richard Schroeder. Annisa Karim, are you with us, ma'am? MS. KARIM: I am. Thank you. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes. July 21, 2020 Page 66 MS. KARIM: Mr. Chair, County Commissioners, good morning. For the record, my name is Annisa Karim. It is important for me, as a member of our Collier County community, to know that we have a local governing board in you, our county commissioners, who operate under the ethos "when we know better, we do better." So, thank you for considering this item again. I ask you to vote to implement a temporary measure mandating face coverings in indoor settings. Masks have been proven to be part of the success equation, along with washing hands and physical distancing. But, you know, we've heard lots of data on both sides, and people on both sides of this debate have been accused of cherry picking these data. So, I ask that you, instead, listen to the public-health professionals who are carefully looking at all of the valid data and have then overwhelmingly asked you to implement a mask mandate. Enforcement certainly will be difficult, but that should not deter us from trying to save people's lives. So, let's be clear, we have many policies that are extremely difficult to enforce, but these policies, like no littering, no speeding, no public urination, these policies set a standard for our community. So today your yes vote will signal to the county and the country that you respect science and that you care for your citizens, so I ask that you follow the science and that you heed the advice of your very own qualified public-health professionals who understand the efficacy of masks. They certainly would not be entering this contentious debate if masks did not make a difference. And, finally, it is obvious that education campaigns alone are not working. Please be courageous today enough to protect Collier County by voting to implement a temporary mask mandate. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Johnathan Dallinari followed by Linda Turner, Richard Schroeder, and then Paul July 21, 2020 Page 67 Schriner. You have two minutes, Mr. Dallinari. MR. DALLINARI: Thank you. Good morning, Commissioners. Good morning, everyone in the courtroom [sic]. My name is Johnathan Dallinari, and I would like to oppose the order for the masks. My family and I are new to Naples, having traveled 1,500 miles to be here because the tourism industry has been decimated in our previous state, Rhode Island. I wrote an email yesterday, which I hope you've read. In addition, I offer this: We were the first to mandate the mask in Rhode Island. It was an executive order in place in early May, putting us about 90 days ahead of you. The mandate was divisive, violence instilling, and, ultimately, unenforceable, though still technically in place. Firstly, two different towns tried to vote down the executive order citing substantial harm to the emotional, spiritual, and financial well-being of its citizens. One succeeded and declared itself a First Amendment sanctuary town. Almost no one in the service industry is back to work. Any additional help from the federal government ends this month, so most of the service people will begin to suffer greatly. Secondly, a news article from last week. A Rhode Island man was accused of hitting a 63-year-old with a car after the pair had an argument over face masks, according to police. Ralph Buontempo, 30, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly got into his car and drove in reverse to knock down William Beauchene, 63, in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Lastly, an excerpt from the Warwick Police Department, FOP issued early May. We are encouraging all of our officers to wear a July 21, 2020 Page 68 mask; however, we draw the line at the draconian measures Governor Raimondo has chosen to include in her executive order of mandating that all people wear masks in public under the threat of civil penalties being issued to them. Our officers work every single day to bridge the gap with our community and earn their trust. We will not stand by idly by -- and allow the governor's overreaching order to tear down that bridge, and we will certainly not be a part of enforcing the order against our community. The last thing any of us need to do is to kick the community when they are down. People are already scared, hurting financially in these COVID-19 times, so will we [sic] not support enforcing financial or other civil penalties just for not wearing a mask in public. And we will not support enforcing any order -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, sir. Your time's up, thank you. MR. DALLINARI: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Linda Turner. She will be followed by Richard Schroeder, Paul Schriner, and Billy Weeks. Ms. Turner, are you with us? I'm sorry. I lost my train of thought. Ms. Turner? MS. TURNER: Yes, I am. Thank you. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, ma'am. MS. TURNER: Thank you. Thank you for bringing this issue back. Medical experts Doctors Fauci, Redfield, Adams, and Birx are all pleading to the American public to please wear a mask to help slow down this highly contagious virus. Please listen to these experts and follow their recommendations, not to lay people who speak as if they are experts. Wearing a mask in public places is such a simple thing to do. Half the states are mandated to wear masks. July 21, 2020 Page 69 Enforcement could be simple. People with asthma, COPD, on oxygen, or mentally disabled should be exempt. Please find a way for these people to show exemption. School children will be required to wear masks in school. A mask mandate in public places starting at age 5 makes sense. For teens up to 18, a good start would be police encouragement or a warning that by -- that they must wear a mask in public places. For individuals 18 and older, not businesses, 25 to $50 tickets is reasonable. They serve as a reminder that the mask mandate is being enforced. A mandate would be helpful to businesses by curbing customer bad behavior. As for the opponents of this mandate, I would say the following: One, a mask mandate is not tyrannical government overreach; it is protection. Two, I am not fearful; I am considerate of others. Three, a pandemic -- during a pandemic, governments do have leeway to order a mandate. This is no more a violation than seat belts. Four, the world does not revolve around you or me. Be considerate of men, women, and children who need to shop in essential businesses, be considerate of healthcare workers when they need to be in public. Be considerate of working people who need to support their families. Commissioners, I implore you, please listen to the medical experts I mentioned earlier in my letter. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. Your time -- MS. TURNER: Be part of the problem, not the solution [sic]. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Richard Schroeder. He'll be followed by Paul Schriner -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: How many more speakers do we have? July 21, 2020 Page 70 MR. MILLER: Let me do a count after I do these, sir, real quick, if I could. Richard Schroeder followed by Paul Schriner, Billy Weeks, and then Archie, I think it's McEachern. Mr. Schroeder, you'll have two minutes. MR. SCHROEDER: Thank you. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Before you start, just before you start his time, at some point very soon we're going to need to revert to one minute. MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So I want to alert the speakers that are waiting to be ready to shorten their comments, because we're going to need to speed things up here a little bit. I want everybody to speak, but we're going to need to move on. MR. MILLER: Quick question then, sir. I've just read four names. Do you want me to go through those four with two minutes, and then go to one minute? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. MR. MILLER: Mr. Schroeder, you have two minutes, sir. MR. SCHROEDER: Thank you. My name is Richard Schroeder. I am against the face mask mandate. I am a retired physician who recently moved to Collier County from the state of Washington. And as a retired physician, I have seen in my career at least 40 flu seasons come and go. And I think that many would agree that what difference -- differs this flu season is not so much the flu but, as Commissioner Taylor alluded to in her opening remarks, the fear that is accompanying all this. And I would posit to you that this is a manufactured fear by and large. And I would also suggest, to keep this brief, that if people want to get rid of the core cause of all of this social disorder, all of this economic disruption, the one thing we could all do is remove those July 21, 2020 Page 71 face masks, go out in our communities, those of us who are healthy, not just the children, even 75-year-olds like myself, get the herd immunity, spread the herd immunity. Those who are vulnerable, yes, should be protected. But those who are healthy should not be condemned to servitude or some other greater agenda. That's all I have to say. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker will be Paul Schriner, followed by Billy Weeks, and then Archie McEachern and Teddy Collins. Mr. Schriner, are you with us, sir? MR. SCHRINER: I'm here. MR. MILLER: You have two minutes, sir. MR. SCHRINER: Hey. I need you guys to pipe down. Sorry. That was my kids. Yeah, I'm on the phone. Okay. So I think the thing you're failing to realize is that there's a spirit in this country, and we're all going to -- you can go ahead and mandate this. I implore you to, by all means, but there's a large faction of Americans that were born and bred Americans -- we know what that means -- and we'll just simply boycott all these businesses. So, you're really doing a disservice to a lot of these businesses in the long run. Maybe in the short term it might help a little bit, but in the long term we're never going to forget. We're not going to forget you guys sitting on that podium telling us how to think and how to feel. We're not going to forget. Life is long. It's not short, and many of us are still going to be around. And I promise you, many of us, many, many, many Americans just like me are going to boycott these businesses. We don't care. You've got to remember, we have Amazon. Amazon. I can buy anything on Amazon. I don't have to go to these businesses. And the ones that think like I think, I'm going to go there, and that's going to continue from here on out. July 21, 2020 Page 72 I will never buy another thing at Lowe's, and I spend a lot of money. I know exactly what tyranny looks like. I'm from Chicago. I'm straight from Chicago. I know exactly what it looks like, and it's looking a lot like you guys right now. So, I can smell a rat. You're a rat. Remember, it's karma, karma and dharma. And you're taking a big old bite of an ugly sandwich. You're going to have to swallow it. Remember that. So, you guys go ahead. By all means, keep wearing those masks. You're going to keep breathing in your own snot because, guess what, karma's going to catch up with you in one form or the other. Bye-bye. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Before -- Troy, before we go to the next speaker, is there any objection to going to the one-minute time frame? We've heard about two -- a little over two hours of discussion. I don't want to cut anybody off but -- all right. For all the speakers -- we've got two that have already been announced, so we'll go with the two minutes for the two that you've already announced, but for all the other speakers, we're going to go to a one-minute time limit. I would encourage you to express very quickly your support or lack of support for the proposed ordinance, proposed executive order. And I apologize for having to do that, but I think we probably have another 50 or 60 speakers. MR. MILLER: Forty-seven, sir. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Forty-seven. And so, we need to move on so we can start talking about the order. So, the next two speakers, two minutes, and then after that we'll go to one minute. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Billy Weeks followed by Archie McEachern. And then starting with one minute, Teddy Collins and then Ana Payero. July 21, 2020 Page 73 Mr. Weeks, you have two minutes. MR. WEEKS: Yes, sir. My name's Billy Weeks. I've never spoke at one of these before, but I'm against the mask. I'm totally against it. My family's been in Collier County since 1800, and I've seen the change in this place that's unbelievable. And the police does not need no more mandate against them. They got -- their plate is full. And this right here is nothing but tax dollars at waste, and I think Penny ought to pay for the whole thing today. I think you ought to pay for it. Take it out of your salary. Okay. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker -- Archie McEachern is gone. Let's go to Ana Payero. Ana, are you with us? Ana Payero, are you with us? MS. PAYERO: Can you guys hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. Ana, you have two minutes. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And then we'll go to the one minute. MS. PAYERO: Okay. Awesome. So, I am voting against [sic] no mask. I believe that God made Mother Nature for a reason. You know, the trees around us are constantly working filtering our oxygen. People that wear masks are constantly breathing the same air over and over again. Their air is not being filtered, and that is dangerous because it's depriving their body and their brain from oxygen. I feel like we are fighting the world war. We need to unite, and we need to fight against human trafficking. This mask thing, this whole corona thing, this is a world war. Human trafficking is the war that we need to be fighting. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Teddy Collins. He will July 21, 2020 Page 74 be followed by Barry Hoey, Christy McLaughlin, and Francine Hunt -- Francie Hunt. You have one minute, sir. MR. COLLINS: Hi. I'm Teddy Collins, and I'm against the mask ordinance. I moved to Naples thinking how conservative it is here and encouraged all my friends to move down here. I'm starting to question that now. I tell them there is an asylum from liberalism here. I'm starting to continue to question that. We are letting fear and liberalism affect our county. Masks are a sign that you actually believe that COVID-19 is a problem. I don't. I don't trust the authorities, CDC, Fauci, media, and I won't allow you to force this on me or my business that I work at. We won't comply. It's funny how my body, my choice only applies to one side of the aisle. If more people are dying from abortion in Collier County than COVID, why not ban abortion the same way you ban straws, or the sale of puppies? What's next, a mandatory vaccination that was tested from aborted fetuses? Let's not run Naples into the ground. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Barry Hoey. He will be followed by Christy McLaughlin, Francie Hunt, and Patrick Calman. Mr. Hoey, I hope I'm saying that right. Are you with us? MR. HOEY: Yes, I am, thank you. I proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2013 in a country that presented itself with many values, the highest one freedom. Since then, I have -- I've watched different things happen. I was not either one side of the aisle or the other. Of recent, I see much corruption and a lot of bad decisions in relation to Penny Taylor's reason for calling this meeting, and she had said about emotions. You cannot lead -- leaders need to lead, not follow, and you cannot make July 21, 2020 Page 75 decisions based on emotions. You need to make decisions based on good science. We heard people talking about science here. I am friends with a number of you on Facebook, and I shared a number of posts, one from a doctor in Texas who advises against the use of masks, another from the journal -- the New England Journal from an RN friend of mine who sent it to me, and they said wearing masks does not work. It does not prevent this. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I'm sorry, sir, but your time is up. I'm going to remind the speakers we're down to one-minute presentations, so be mindful of that as you begin your comments. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Kristi McLaughlin. She'll be followed by Francie Hunt, Patrick Calman, and then Jordan Gatlin. MS. McLAUGHLIN: All right. Good morning, or close to afternoon. It is disappointing that we are here yet again to speak on this issue, since we've already voted a week ago. To mandate masks on healthy people is unconstitutional. We've talked about this before. Now, you're setting a precedent -- if you mandate these masks, you're setting a precedent of government overreach which leads into tyranny for future issues whenever there's an external threat. I'm extremely disappointed that we're here to discuss this matter again for the fourth time, third time in the last three or four weeks, because, to quote the revolutionary quote, "if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything." And it appears that we are just here to repeatedly discuss this issue until you meet your agenda, which is to mandate masks, a government overreach. I urge you to vote no. This mandatory mask is unconstitutional and infringes on personal liberties, and constitutional rights must July 21, 2020 Page 76 prevail over external threats. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Francie Hunt. She will be followed by Patrick Calman, Jordan Gatlin, and then Lori Sardina. Francie, are you with us? Ms. Hunt? DR. HUNT: Yes, I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. You have one minute, ma'am. DR. HUNT: Okay. My name is Dr. Francie Hunt. I'm a retired professor living in Naples full time since 2014. Thank you for reconsidering your vote on this matter. I support a mandatory mask requirement with hefty fines for violations. I fully support following the guidelines outlined by Dr. Fauci and the CDC, including following the recommended criteria for returning to normal. The very day you were voting down a mask mandate last week, our state was achieving the status of the world's worst COVID outbreak. Our president and our governor have failed to lead. We're now six months into this crisis, and despite the lies to the contrary, we still do not have adequate testing and tracing processes in place in our state. We need to wear masks for others: The doctors, nurses, aides, police, emergency services, et cetera. Most of the people in our community want to and have to work, and when they go there, they need to be as safe as possible, and that means everyone needs to wear masks. It's a moral imperative that -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Patrick Calman. He'll be followed by Jordan Gatlin, Lori Sardina, and Judith Belmont. MR. CALMAN: Do you realize that this is the first time in the history of mankind that healthy people are confined or put in July 21, 2020 Page 77 quarantine? Never happened before. Never happened by any sickness that there was before. And this is a very important thing, because actually we don't have one virus. We have two viruses. We have the COVID, and we have the panic, and we see that the panic, which is already fear at the beginning is making a real panic because people are introducing things which never been there before. As I told you, confinement, quarantine, wearing a mask, where did you wear a mask when there was AIDS or something like that? Never happened before. The truth is, nobody knows what's happening with COVID. But you know what, the next virus is coming, so what are you going to do? Thank you so much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jordan Gatlin. He'll be followed by Lori Sardina, Judith Belmont, and Kara Thornton. Mr. Gatlin, are you with us, sir? MS. GATLIN: I'm a female, but yes, I am here. MR. MILLER: I'm so sorry. MS. GATLIN: It's okay. It's all right. I cannot believe we've been brought back here for this discussion once again. If you want to address the fear, then address the fear. If you want to calm and empower, then educate and promote true health. We are live beings, and every cell of our body survives on energy. We need to feed our body live healing foods. Eat your fruits and your raw veggies, not dead meat, mucous-causing dairy, and gluten-ridden foods. Lighten the toxic load that we burden our bodies with. Choose the -- lose the toxic chemical cleaners, the fragrant-filled shampoos, lotions, air fresheners. I could go on and on. But there are adequate natural healthy options out there. Every July 21, 2020 Page 78 single ingredient in everything we eat, put on our skin, and breathe through our nose has to be broken down and either used to feed the trillions of cells that literally comprise our physical bodies or be eliminated. Like Dr. Robert Morris said that if we don't -- what we don't eliminate we accumulate. If you are not feeding yourselves the proper foods, then your bowels and kidneys are not eliminating properly which, in turn, puts you at high risk. No cloth is going to save you from any virus or bacteria, but treating your body with respect and proper health allows -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. Your time is up there. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lori Sardina. She'll be followed by Judith Belmont, Kara Thornton, and then Karen Dwyer. MS. SARDINA: Hey. How's everyone? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Good. MS. SARDINA: All right. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Welcome. MS. SARDINA: So this message is to not only you-all, but to our president, to our governor, and to all of our representatives. This is beyond madness. I just don't how we got here. Somebody make it make sense. Right now we're choosing feelings over science and ignoring all facts for security blankets? For what? I need all of you to stand up, be strong. Demand facts. Demand real test results. Demand real death rates. I need you all to stand up for liberty and to stand up for truth and be our real representatives. There's no reason for this. We are way too far into this to not have real answers, and now we're going off of emotions because big business is pressuring you? This is just insane. If they don't have the strength to mandate a mask July 21, 2020 Page 79 in their business, that's their problem. If people don't want to wear a mask, they should have the right. With that, have a great afternoon. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Judith Belmont. She'll be followed by Kara Thornton, Karen Dwyer, and Jack Morris. Ms. Belmont, are you with us? MS. BELMONT: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. MS. BELMONT: Thank you. Thanks for revisiting this subject. I do not agree with the disrespectful speakers who are saying that revisiting this is a sign of weakness; rather, it is a sign of strength. Being willing to change your mind based on increasing knowledge and awareness is a sign of courage, intelligence, and responsibility. Thank you, Commissioners Taylor, Solis, and Saunders for trying to keep us safe. Unfortunately, our federal and state leadership continues to play Russian roulette with our lives. The anti-maskers that I heard last week and today show a huge amount of misinformation, ignorance, and disrespect for others. They say that there is no scientific facts to prove masks work. I guess they don't read or listen to the news. They are not well informed. There is plenty of evidence. They do not trust the experts like our surgeon general, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, who certainly know a lot more about the virus than we do. Why not listen to the experts? The anti-maskers accuse mask proponents of being based on emotion. It is exactly the opposite. The mask proponents respect facts -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, ma'am. Your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Kara Thornton. She'll be July 21, 2020 Page 80 followed by Karen Dwyer, Jack Morris, and Karen Letzgian (phonetic). MS. THORNTON: Hello. Thank you for letting me speak today. I'm here today as a mother of three. I'm also a nurse. And I'm asking to you vote against the mask mandate. To make people think that COVID will go away if we mandate masks is a lie and provides a false sense of security. PPE works in a hospital setting because they are trained professionals that are washing their hands, changing their gloves, and changing their masks in between each patient. You cannot expect the general public to adhere to the same precautions that a hospital requires. It just doesn't work. When you have people wearing scarves, handmade cloth masks, fishing buffs, and reusing surgical masks over and over that are meant to be worn once, it is not going to stop the spread. If you are scared of contracting COVID-19, you have the choice to wear a mask. You have the choice to stay home. You are not going to bully me into being afraid of a virus that 99 percent of people survive. I heard a call earlier who said that government was here to protect us. Well, where was the government when our cities were burning, when our monuments were being torn down -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, ma'am. Your time is up. MS. THORNTON: -- and who is protecting our police? MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Karen Dwyer. She'll be followed by Jack Morris, Karen Letzgian, and John Melton. Ms. Dwyer, are you there? MS. DWYER: Yes. Now's the time for mandatory masks. Voluntary compliance is July 21, 2020 Page 81 not working. I wear a mask to keep others safe. We need a mask mandate to keep everyone safe. Vote yes because tourism is a lifeblood of our economy. Mandatory masks will send a visible message that Naples is still a safe place to visit. Vote yes because farmworkers return in August. They're essential workers and a vital part of our community. We must protect them. Vote yes to protect our children in and out of school. Schools require masks; so should the county. Vote yes because it's a reasonable request. Masks are now readily available and easily worn. We are free to wear any type of mask. Vote yes because it's an emergency measure, not a long-term law. It's temporary but necessary. It is the moral and responsible next step. Like Orlando and other Florida cities, vote yes for mandatory masks. It's never been easier to save a life and keep our economy open. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Jack Morris. He'll be followed by Karen Letzgian, John Melton, and Cathy Sullivan. Mr. Morris, you have one minute. MR. MORRIS: Yes, I appreciate I have one minute, but I closed my business to come down here and talk, and then you decide that it's one minute instead of two minutes. So, I'm not going to talk about my behavior and whether we're going to wear a mask. I'm going to talk about your behavior. Calling an emergency meeting because you flip flop is unacceptable. Of course, you're going to get away with it and do it anyway. July 21, 2020 Page 82 We've had people talk about education. We haven't heard one thing about education since we talked about it. You haven't done anything. Now, when I heard that we were coming back, Penny was flip-flopping, it wasn't a big surprise to me. I was surprised she voted the way she did last time, because I was in here when we voted for cannabis, and she actually said on record, I know I have a constitutional oath to uphold, but I'm going to go with the minority, which is disgusting. So, she's basically telling me, I don't care about my oath. I'm just going to go with the minority, a vote, because we had 73 percent vote for it, right. So now we have to still go get our medicine. If you want to save us, let us have our medicine. But you don't want to save us. If you want to save us, why don't you let us do what we know is best for us? But you won't do that, will you? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, but your time is up. MR. MORRIS: Of course, I'm up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Karen Letzgian is no longer with us online, so let's try Cathy Sullivan, then John Melton, and then Keith Flaugh. Cathy Sullivan, are you with us, ma'am? MS. SULLIVAN: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute. MS. SULLIVAN: I am part of a three generational Collier County family. The middle generation is composed of two primary care MDs who are on the front line. My husband and I are two very vulnerable grandparents. This pandemic is real to us. We ask you to do what is best for the health and well-being of the community. Be compassionate, be patriotic, approve this mask. But don't stop there. This is a good first step. Get more testing, quicker the turnaround time for results, and dramatically improve July 21, 2020 Page 83 contact tracing. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is John Melton. He will be followed by Keith Flaugh and then Laurie Nagler. I'd like to alert the Board that John Melton is our last registered speaker in person. The remaining speakers will all be online. MR. MELTON: Good afternoon. I direct my questioning to the Board today. I'm going to ask you, what kind of board is this? This is the fourth time we've been here. I mean, who got to you? Are you paid off? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, sir, but -- MR. MELTON: Who came after Ms. Taylor? What changed your mind so bad? I think you owe an explanation to everybody here why we're here again. Leadership calls for guts. Sometimes you've got to come from in your stomach and do things that you don't maybe agree with, but you don't sell your community out. We've been here a lot of times already. Take these masks off. They don't work. Are you guys kidding me? It's makes me want to vomit looking at this. I sit on a board. I don't like sometimes we have to make decisions, but I stand by them. You people are a joke. This is absolutely a joke. So, let me tell you something, everybody out here, the community hears this, sees this. We're coming for you. We're coming for you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Keith Flaugh. He'll be followed by Laurie Nagler and Lisa Freund. Mr. Flaugh, are you with us? MR. FLAUGH: Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes. July 21, 2020 Page 84 MR. FLAUGH: This is Keith Flaugh, Marco Island. I first want to register, your website, Chairman, gave us three minutes, then this morning you announced two, and now you don't have the time to listen to us for more than one minute. I think that's just unacceptable. I'm not going to reiterate points that have been made on the masks and the validity of masks or the lack therefore or the OSHA implications, breathing your own carbon dioxide. I do want to talk about, as soon as you agree with this irrational and unconstitutional order, you are marching us towards totalitarianism. I want to know what's next. Are you going to mandate that I must have a vaccine? Are you going to put me in jail when I refuse to pay your fines when areas like New York are releasing violent criminals, rapists, and anarchists? Are you really prepared to make me a criminal or violator of law -- of our ordinance, which is actually not law, and are you going to do this out of fear and -- COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Mr. Flaugh, your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Laurie Nagler. She'll be followed by Lisa Freund, Laura Pacter, and Lisa Giangregorio. Ms. Nagler, are you with us? MS. NAGLER: Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. NAGLER: Thank you. I am in favor of a mandate for mask wearing. I feel fortunate that I'm able to spend my summers on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, but the topic of conversation recently among our friends has been whether or not it's safe to return to Naples in the fall. So far the consensus is that the risk of getting COVID-19 makes it too dangerous to head back to Collier County in October. The contrast of lifestyle here in New England is palpable. July 21, 2020 Page 85 People here wear masks out of respect for others. I would love to be able to return to Naples after the summer, but without a mandate requiring people to wear a mask when out in public, I'm afraid that my husband and I and our friends will have no choice but to dig out our winter coats and boots and stay northbound for the 2021 season. Finally, with a mask mandate, people who don't want to wear one have the right and freedom to choose to stay at home. Thank you for hearing me. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lisa Freund. She'll be followed by Laura Pacter, Lisa Giangregorio, and then Dr. Joseph Doyle. Ms. Freund, are you with us? MS. FREUND: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. MS. FREUND: Okay. I was going to talk about a study that showed 169 countries, that the per capita mortality from COVID is -- increases 43 percent weekly in countries where people don't wear masks compared with 2.8 percent increase in countries where people are wearing masks. But I have to -- I'm practically speechless about the threat that was issued "we're coming for you." Penny Taylor, God bless you. Don't let yourself be bullied. You've heard these people before, and I have to applaud you for your compassion and intelligence to reconsider new information on the impact of the COVID pandemic. Please pass this emergency ordinance. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lisa [sic] Pacter followed by Lisa Giangregorio and then Dr. Joseph Doyle. Laura Pacter, are you with us, ma'am? MS. PACTER: Yes. Can you hear? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. PACTER: Yes. I am totally in favor of masks, and I July 21, 2020 Page 86 thank you, Penny, for readdressing this, and I appreciate what you're doing. And I thank you, Commissioners, for listening. The mandate for businesses needs to happen in Collier County. We have many people who are asymptomatic, and when you ask people to wear a mask, we can flatten the curve in our community. This is not a flu. It is not a flu, people. People are dying in hospitals as we talk about this virus. Businesses need to keep customers, employees, and everyone safe, and I appreciate your time in listening to me today. I'm here to say that I totally support this mandate. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lisa Giangregorio, followed by Dr. Joseph Doyle and then Lauren McIntyre. Ms. Giangregorio, are you with us? MS. GIANGREGORIO: Yes, I am. Are you able to hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. GIANGREGORIO: Okay. I have a simple but strong statement to make. The same way this committee did not follow Florida state rules of procedure in calling this supposed emergency meeting, I, as well as many other freedom-loving Americans, will not comply with any mask mandate imposed. I strongly urge everyone to read the statutes beginning with Statute 120.525. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Dr. Joseph Doyle followed by Lauren McIntyre, Maggie Ward, and Maryann Fitzpatrick. Dr. Doyle, are you with us? DR. DOYLE: Yes, I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, you have one minute. DR. DOYLE: I am against this emergency order. The media-induced hysteria is palpable. Masks offer a false sense of security, providing comfort for a small group of individuals and July 21, 2020 Page 87 big-box retailers does not justify infringing upon the rights of the majority -- or on the rights of private small businesses. It is my observation that not enough attention is being paid to hand washing. It would be more prudent to use the CARES Act money that just came to the county to install hand sanitizer stations in public venues throughout the county than to hire a mask gestapo to enforce this evidence -- this ordinance. We need to develop herd immunity with controlled mild infections, since we may not have a safe and effective vaccination next year or ever. This process is scary, since it will necessitate a higher positivity rate and push against the upper limits of hospital and ICU capacity. But if you do go through with this ordinance, $500 fine is not steep. In the 1920s, there was a $25 fine in New York City for spitting in public. That, adjusted for inflation, is $650 today. And if you're going to enforce this, go down to age five so that you're consistent with the Collier County Public Schools -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry, but your time is up. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Lauren McIntyre followed by Maggie Ward and Maryann Fitzpatrick. Ms. McIntyre, are you with us? MS. McINTYRE: I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. McINTYRE: Thank you so much. I support a temporary mask mandate. There's really nothing more that I would like than to go back to normal, but in order to do that, we need to flatten the curve and control and reduce the community spread. If we mandate masks in all public spaces in Collier, and hopefully the rest of the country, then we can get out of this mess sooner, and we can better protect the health and lives of our residents and visitors. We can get our kids and teachers back into July 21, 2020 Page 88 school safely but only if we mandate masks in public spaces. Thank you for your time. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Maggie Ward followed by Maryann Fitzpatrick. And I'll need a minute to get some names after that. Ms. Ward, are you with us? Ms. Ward? Maggie Ward? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Let's try Maryann Fitzpatrick. Ms. Fitzpatrick, are you with us? MS. FITZPATRICK: Yes, I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. FITZPATRICK: Thank you. I'm a 64-year-old sole proprietor of a local retail business and, as such, I play many roles. I'm the CEO, the accountant, the sales clerk, and the janitor, but one role I never signed up for was law enforcement. We've all read the headlines, and we've all seen the videos of people coming unglued at being asked to wear a mask. The fact is store owners and employees have been threatened, beaten, shot, and even murdered over this issue. I'm sure none of them expected it to happen to them or at the hands of that particular person. The point is, you can never tell. But you expect me, a 64-year-old woman working alone with no training and no backup, to be your front line, to physically prevent entry by any person not wearing a mask. You are placing me and hundreds like me in an untenable position. As written, this ordinance contains criminal penalties if I am unwilling or unable to enforce it and, on the other hand, each confrontation could put me at risk of bodily harm. I maintain you don't have the right to force me to choose between becoming a criminal and risking serious injury. You don't have the right to expect me, a shop owner, to assume the role of cop. July 21, 2020 Page 89 CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ma'am, I'm sorry, but your time is up. MS. FITZPATRICK: It's not a role I choose -- MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Michelle McCormick followed by Michelle Woodman, Monika Ludwig, and Nancy Rosenblum. Ms. McCormick, are you with us? MS. McCORMICK: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. MS. McCORMICK: One minute, oh. That's handy. So, a mask ordinance is the bare minimum you can do to protect the health and safety of our citizens. How much risk do you think is reasonable to expect our healthcare workers to continue to take as they care for spiking number of COVID patients? You spend 50 percent of the general county budget on the CCSO to protect safety of our county but have failed to act thus far on the biggest health and safety concern that has faced our county and the world. I work in global travel and can tell you that until we get this virus under control, not only will tourists not come here, we will continue to be banned from traveling to any other country. In fact, the county TDC was the entity that put this on the agenda on the 14th. Nobody is forcing someone to wear a mask. They have the option to stay home. This isn't any more of an infringement on personal freedom than making it illegal to drink and drive. Commissioner McDaniel, you were a prime example of why this ordinance is needed as you sit there amongst your colleagues with zero regard for their health and safety. You could have Zoomed in if you didn't want to wear a mask. Stop caving in to right-wing fanatics that have the unmitigated audacity to consider themselves a July 21, 2020 Page 90 patriot -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ma'am, your time is up. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Michelle Woodman followed by Monika Ludwig, Nancy Rosenblum, and Neetu Malhotra. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. For all the speakers coming up, you have one minute, so be conscious of that, and let us know your position and your reason. MR. MILLER: Ms. Woodman, are you with us? Michelle Woodman? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Last call. Michelle Woodman? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Let's try to move on, Oscar. Let's try to reach Monika Ludwig. Ms. Ludwig, are you with us? MS. LUDWIG: Yes, I'm here. MR. MILLER: You have one minute. MS. LUDWIG: Yes. MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. LUDWIG: Okay. I've listened again to self-proclaimed general, legal, or constitutional and scientific experts who cherry pick data or misrepresent facts that supports their self-centered beliefs that has been refuted by the real experts both in the medical profession, epidemiologists, and legal scholars. As to the latter, Tallahassee, the seat of our state government, has issued a mandate very similar to the one proposed here that is reasonable. It's civil penalty and has nothing to do with police enforcement. Don't be bullied by the likes of selfish people like Alfie Oakes who should be asked whether or not he's funding his legal action with the millions of PPE funds that he gladly accepted July 21, 2020 Page 91 for what he calls a hoax. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is -- we're going to go back and try Maggie Ward. After Maggie Ward, we'll try Nancy Rosenblum and then Neetu Malhotra. Maggie, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Maggie, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Okay. Maggie, you're un-muted on our end, so if you're not un-muted on your end, we're not going to hear you. One last chance here for Maggie Ward. (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Let's move on. Nancy Rosenblum. Nancy Rosenblum, are you with us? MS. ROSENBLUM: Yes, I am. Thank you. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. MS. ROSENBLUM: Okay. I'd like to support a mask mandate, and I'd like to remind all of us that our democracy and personal rights come with responsibility and sacrifice that are not always self-serving, and I find it incredulous and unsettling that individuals are threatening lawsuits and personal threats over the wearing of face masks. There's never been a more obvious time for us to make a personal sacrifice and take this simple but effective step. Face masks are not a cure but have proven to curb the spread. Wearing a mask helps to protect others. We need to wake up. Other cities, states, and countries have demonstrated the ability to lower the number of cases and deaths. Our country is desperate for acts of kindness. Please support a mandate for face coverings. We owe it to our families, friends, July 21, 2020 Page 92 neighbors, and each other. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Neetu Malhotra, Osmani Perez, Pamela Cunningham, and then Paul Kardon. Neetu Malhotra, I hope I'm saying that somewhat close. Are you with us? DR. MALHOTRA: Yes, can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. DR. MALHOTRA: Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Dr. Neetu Malhotra, and I'm a practicing physician in the community. I stand with my fellow colleagues to ask you today to enact mask requirements for indoor public spaces to help protect our community and prevent further spread of COVID-19. I think it's vital for all of us to keep politics aside and know the scientific facts. For example, a meta-analysis of 172 studies looked at various interventions to prevent transmission of COVID, SARs, and MERS from an infected person to people close to them. The analysis was published in Lancet in June of this year which concluded that mask wearing significantly reduced the risk of viral transmission. Earlier in the pandemic, scientists didn't know how easily the virus spread between people without symptoms or how long infectious particles could linger in the air. Later in April, CDC, W.H.O., Dr. Fauci all recommend urging the public to wear face masks repeatedly. Now more than two dozen states and the District of Columbia have mandates on wearing cloths face masks in public. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Osmani Perez, Pamela Cunningham, Paul Kardon, and then Priscilla Gray. Osmani Perez, are with you us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Osmani Perez, can you hear us? July 21, 2020 Page 93 (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. One last call. Mr. or Ms. Perez, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Oscar, let's move on and try Pamela Cunningham. Pamela Cunningham, are you with us, ma'am? DR. CUNNINGHAM: Yes, sir, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. Please begin. DR. CUNNINGHAM: To hear Commissioner Taylor say that, quote, whether it's factual or lacks truth, end quote, has got to be the most pathetic thing I have ever heard. God help us if Commissioner Taylor thinks a story about two hairdressers in Missouri is a medical study. Is she being blackmailed or bribed? As a Harvard trained medical doctor, I look for data. No large-scale double-blinded randomized controlled studies have been released showing the safety of cloth face masks being worn by the population at large. Meta-analyses recently referred to by Dr. Malhotra are not considered strong studies. All studies that have been performed have recommended against such widespread mask use. Some try to liken the mandate of masks to no indoor smoking or mandatory seat belt use. These comparisons are bogus, as the dangers behind tobacco and seat belts is strong and was developed over years of first-rate scientific data. There is no such data about the mask mandate. On the few occasions I've had to place masks on my daughters, I feel like crying, because they remind me the girls that are forced to wear head coverings in the country my parents so bravely escaped, particularly for that reason. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Paul Kardon. He will be July 21, 2020 Page 94 followed by Priscilla Gray, Rebekah Bernard, and then Renee Williams. Mr. Kardon, are you with us, sir? MR. KARDON: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, sir. Please begin. MR. KARDON: I'm a retired physician and hospital administrator. Last week I spoke at this meeting for one minute. I delivered my entire message then as did many others. It seemed to have fallen on deaf ears of 3-2 defeat of the mandate resulting. It's clear that subsequent communications and letters to the Naples Daily News may have struck a chord leading, I hope, to a passage of the mandate today, this mandate that I and many others, scientists and laypeople alike, believe is the last best hope to bring this viral pandemic under control until we have a cure or vaccine. Passage today, hopefully with a unanimous vote, would send a strong message to our community, a message that could be heeded by our residents in a fashion that would lessen the concern about enforcement. Commissioners, you have the opportunity to make this happen. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Priscilla Gray followed by Rebekah Bernard and then Renee Williams and Rosanne Mello. Ms. Gray, are you with us? Priscilla Gray, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: I will call you one more time. Ms. Gray, Priscilla Gray, are you with us? MS. GRAY: Yes, Commissioner. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. We can hear you. You have one minute. MS. GRAY: I'm with the National Policy Organization. As July 21, 2020 Page 95 such, I have access to Zoom calls with thousands of courageous physicians who are being threatened by the politics of the terrorism of this COVID. These courageous physicians say, as with any virus, people are high vitamin D levels do not die of this virus. People who avoid the sun on their faces are depriving themselves of vitamin D. Media-muzzled physicians are silenced because they have inexpensive solutions. Arm us with vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc. Get sun on your face and exercise, avoid sugary foods. These same physicians, like the famous doctors in Lenco whose patients are not dying of COVID, prescribe hydroxychloroquine and zinc early in a diagnosis before the virus has a chance to reproduce, and this is the medication that the elite in our world use, from President Trump to state leaders to Hollywood celebrities. Their patients have great vitamin D levels, and thousands of media-silenced physicians are treating COVID patients like that, and they do not end up in hospitals, which are getting $18,000 bonuses for patients that have COVID. So, for instance, the recent motorcycle crash, it's an infamous case now. A motorcycle crash in Collier County -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Ma'am. DR. CUNNINGHAM: -- was diagnosed as -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm sorry. Your time is up. And that motorcycle -- that was an issue where, allegedly, someone who died in a motorcycle crash allegedly died from COVID. So that's been around for quite a while. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Rebekah Bernard. She'll be followed by Renee Williams, then Rosanne Mello and Rosie Poling. Ms. Bernard, are you with us? DR. BERNARD: Yes, hi. This is Dr. Rebekah Bernard. I am July 21, 2020 Page 96 the incoming president of the Collier County Medical Society. The board of directors and the Medical Society's COVID-19 task force is in support of a mask mandate. We have examined the scientific data on the use of face masks, and the task force is unanimously convinced that the use of face masks by the public while in enclosed, indoor spaces is an important step to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The medical community as well is overwhelmingly in strong support of the use of face masks along with physical distancing and hand washing. As a physician, I'd like to clarify concerns that I'm hearing about the safety of face coverings. The use of a cloth face mask is safe for most people. Cloth face masks do not reduce oxygen levels or increase carbon dioxide levels to any meaningful degree. Doctors and nurses, as well as many other professionals, wear much more restrictive masks for many hours at a time without adverse consequences. Thank you, Commissioners, for revisiting this issue, and we hope that you will endorse a mask mandate. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Renee Williams. She'll be followed by Rosanne Mello and then Rosie Poling. Ms. Williams, are you with us? MS. WILLIAMS: I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. WILLIAMS: Okay. Well, whether you want to admit it or not, your yes vote is a vote based on fear and anxiety. You want to say that you're basing these decisions on science. I can support that, but there's far more science that is not supporting everyday mask use in healthy individuals than there is supporting it. Why are you ignoring that science? In the state of California, cases have risen quite a bit since mask July 21, 2020 Page 97 mandates were issued. They neither served to slow nor stop the spread. In fact, they exacerbated the situation. Are you aware that long periods of mask wearing in everyday use can create fungal infections of the face, the nasal passage, the mouth, throat, and lungs? In fact, I personally know two people in treatment for this right now. One is a neighbor. The other is a family member. My cousin has a major fungal infection of her throat and lungs right now. My neighbor has a fungal infection on her face and her nose and all over her mouth. I have personally witnessed three separate people pass out from wearing masks for long periods of time. By mandating the wearing of a medical device, you are not only acting as a medical health professional, you are creating further health problems, both physically and mentally. There's only one reason to vote yes on this issue, yet there are far more reasons to vote no. And for these reasons, I am not only asking, I am pleading with you to vote no on this highly controversial issue that you all have made political. It is not a political issue for me. It is a personal decision -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MS. WILLIAMS: -- and you are making it political. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Rosanne Mello. She'll be followed by Rosie Poling, Mitchell Bryars, and Michelle Woodman. Ms. Mello, are you with us? MS. MELLO: Yes. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You have one minute. MS. MELLO: Thank you. My name is Rosanne Mello. I'm a 14-year resident of Collier County. I'm also a public schoolteacher here in the county. I am 100 percent in support of the mask mandate. All the mask July 21, 2020 Page 98 mandate does is cement us in an all-hands-on-deck community effort to flatten the curve and lower the numbers. Our numbers of cases are going up. Our hospital beds are filling up. We have to do something. This is the right thing to do. Please don't feel intimidated by the naysayers and the threats. Enough already. Please pass the mask mandate. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Rose Poling. She'll be followed by Mitchell Bryars, Michelle Woodman, and then Sherrilyn Alden. Ms. Poling, are you with us? MS. POLING: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: Ma'am, you have one minute. MS. POLING: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Thank you. My name is Rosie Poling, and I'm a Collier County resident who is currently going into my senior year at Harvard where I'm studying global health and health policy. My parents are primary care physicians here, and their work is getting harder and harder. I'm frustrated with the lack of understanding of how bad the situation is. For every one person that dies, 18 more have permanent heart damage, 10 have permanent lung damage, and many more have long-term permanent mental-health issues. My parents have, unfortunately, seen some of these horrors firsthand. In the last meeting, many commissioners were concerned about enforcement. Public health mandates are proven to be effective. For example, a meta-analysis found that seat belt laws were effective at increasing compliance, saving lives from fatal car crashes. In regards to the effectiveness of mask mandates, a National July 21, 2020 Page 99 Academy of Sciences' study, found that COVID-19 infection rates in Italy and New York only started to flatten after a mask mandate was put in place. This policy helps communities return to normal. Commissioner Taylor already mentioned that about 30 other states have had mask mandates, some since April. Despite this, there have been no successful lawsuits to overturn these. Some people may not comply, just as some people inevitably break all laws. We still set a speed limit even if we know some may speed. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MS. POLING: My parents are currently on the front lines -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Michelle Woodman followed by Sherrilyn Alden and then Stephen McCloskey. Michelle Woodman, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Michelle Woodman? Ms. Woodman, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: We'll give her one more shot. Ms. Woodman, Michelle Woodman, can you hear us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. We'll move on, Oscar. Sherrilyn Alden? Sherrilyn Alden, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Sherrilyn Alden? (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right, Oscar. I'm going to move down the list. Stephen McCloskey. Stephen McCloskey, are you with us? MR. McCLOSKEY: Yes, I am. Can you hear? MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. Mr. McCloskey, you have one July 21, 2020 Page 100 minute. Please begin. MR. McCLOSKEY: Thank you. The ignorance, selfishness, and viciousness of those opposing mask wearing is both astounding and appalling. Many of your constituents, particularly those over 60, have been rendered prisoners in their own homes for months now, unwilling to venture out because it is clearly unsafe to do so. If we feel unsafe, we will not patronize any of the businesses in our local economy. There is simply no downside or harm requiring all in Collier County to wear a mask. We think of masks in stark terms. The five of you literally have our lives in your hands. Please do your patriotic and civic duty and pass this emergency order. This will protect all of our health -- all of our health. I'd like to end by directing the following quote by Forrest Gump to those opposing masks. "Stupid is as stupid does." Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Sue Bookbinder. She'll be followed by Suzanne Cherney, Wendy Wells, and then William Norgard. Ms. Bookbinder, are you with us? MS. BOOKBINDER: Yes, I am. Can you hear? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am, you have one minute. Please begin. MS. BOOKBINDER: Thank you. I'm very much in favor of a mandatory mask policy, very much. I'm emotional about this, and I'll explain to you in a minute. When my husband Art and I first moved here 20 years ago, we moved here for the beautiful weather, the beautiful beaches, the people, the cultural, but then we realized the real reason we loved it so much is it was the most philanthropic town we've ever been part of, and we were very much a part of it. July 21, 2020 Page 101 I feel even considering not having a mask policy is the most anti-philanthropic thing this county could do. Philanthropy, again, is more than giving money. It's giving of your soul, your heart, and your time. And if we look it up in the dictionary, it's helping those in need. We have people in need, and the only way we can help those people is to wear masks. I myself have MS and am in my 70s, so I haven't left my house in many, many months. I don't care much about me, but I mention it because I can feel what other people are going through. We have to have a mask policy; we have to have it. If we want to be back to being the wonderful philanthropic town that Naples was -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MS. BOOKBINDER: -- we have to -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: All right. Mr. Chairman, I'm sorry. I have an update. It's kind of a fluid situation with people joining and falling off and then coming back on. We now have approximately seven people still with us on online, and those would be the last seven at this point. Your next speaker would be Wendy Wells followed by William Norgard, Jo Vaccarino, and then Scott Marlin. Ms. Wells, are you with us? MS. WELLS: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. Please begin. MS. WELLS: Okay. I have worked in healthcare with older adults for over 35 years, and this has not been mentioned yet today. Do you know that our people in assisted living facilities -- and we have almost 40, I believe, maybe even more assisted living facilities in Collier County -- that they have not been allowed out for 90 to 100 days, okay? And the people -- I am -- I am for a mandate of masks. This is July 21, 2020 Page 102 only one of the tools that we have to address this issue. People who are vulnerable -- and that doesn't just include those in assisted living facilities. And I think that most of you listening should know what that does to them. But there's also people that have compromised immune systems that may be at risk that are not going out because of the danger that it poses. We talk about herd immunity. Look at Sweden. Sweden has failed drastically, okay. The only way we are ever going to be able to lift the mandate from people in assisted living and dementia-care facilities from coming out is if we can get the -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you, ma'am. MR. MILLER: All right. Mr. Chairman, I'm going to check back with a name here. Suzanne Cherney, then William Norgard, Jo Vaccarino. Ms. Cherney, are you with us, ma'am? MS. CHERNEY: Yes, I am. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. MS. CHERNEY: Thank you. I would like to endorse a temporary mask mandate, and I thank Commissioner Taylor for her encourage. Let's talk about freedom. With a mandate, people will still be free to go everywhere except to the shops that require a mask, and they'll have the choice to order online or get curbside delivery. How does that compare with my total lack of freedom? There are thousands of Collier residents like me who risk tremendous suffering and even death from COVID-19 because of age or medical conditions. We're told we have the choice to stay home. That's zero freedom. A temporary mask mandate can help curb the community spread of this virus and restore some of my freedom at least and protect our July 21, 2020 Page 103 health workers, our students and, very important, our tourist industry. Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is William Norgard. He'll be followed by Jo Vaccarino, Scot Marlin, and then Yvonne Isecke. Mr. Norgard, are you with us, sir? (No response.) MR. MILLER: William Norgard, are you with us, sir? (No response.) MR. MILLER: We'll give Mr. Norgard one more chance here. Mr. Norgard, we're trying to reach you. If you're not un-muted, please do so. Are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Let's move on. Jo Vaccarino, are you with us? Jo Vaccarino. MS. VACCARINO: Yes, can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, you have one minute. Please begin. MS. VACCARINO: Either you believe the virus is highly contagious or you don't. If you believe it's highly contagious, why aren't you discussing proper disposal of contaminated masks? Where are the biohazard containers? I've seen masks in shopping carts and hanging from bushes. It's unsightly and unsanitary. Your mandate will increase the volume of contaminated litter. Also consider masks wet from sweat harbor bacteria and can lead to upper respiratory infections. OSHA and CDC confirm reports of workers suffering from overextended use of masks are increasing. The risk of spread from asymptomatic cases was proven non-existent in contact tracing studies referenced by W.H.O. on video and in lab studies with a 30-minutes collection where they found asymptomatics did not shed enough virus to infect anyone else. July 21, 2020 Page 104 There is not enough scientific justification for a mask mandate that will add financial and social stress on residents, police, and business owners. Please vote no. We don't need more mask litter. If you really care about indoor air transmission of germs, research the many lab-tested UV light and ion generating air purifiers that kill germs and improve indoor air quality. Help businesses implement these sensible and scientific solutions instead of mandating symbolic gestures. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Scot Marlin. He'll be followed by Yvonne Isecke. And then we have some phone numbers; people that didn't register a name with numbers. I will call them out after that. Scot Marlin, are you with us, sir? MR. MARLIN: Yes, I am. Can you hear? MR. MILLER: Yes, sir. You have one minute. Please begin. MR. MARLIN: Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I support a face mask mandate. It is one of the tools that is recommended to slow the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 is not a hoax. This issue really requires leadership that is absent at the federal and at the state level, and to do nothing locally is a failure, in my opinion. The mask mandate, to me, is not driven by fear. It's driven by science. I think that's supported by, you know, the CDC and W.H.O. alike. I don't think the commissioners should bend to the empty idle threats of the likes of Alfie Oakes, whose only interest is himself. And as mentioned earlier, the CDC encourages mask use, whereas in the beginning when the pandemic started, they did not July 21, 2020 Page 105 encourage the mask use. But now, as the pandemic has evolved, there is the CDC encouraging all Americans to wear masks. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MARLIN: And there's enough evidence -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you, sir. MR. MILLER: Your next speaker is Yvonne Isecke. She will be followed by -- I'm going to just do partial phone numbers here. If your phone number ends in 3789, you will be after Ms. Isecke. Ms. Isecke, are you with us, ma'am? MS. ISECKE: I am. Can you hear me? MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am. You'll have one minute. Please begin. MS. ISECKE: Okay. I am against a mask mandate. As a realtor and property manager, I won't repeat what the previous realtor property managers said, but I will concur that myself and everyone in the industry, you know, supports what she said as far as how detrimental this would be to our entire industry. I really question the validity of the very small and anecdotal-sounding study that was used to -- as a basis for revisiting this issue for a fourth time. What big business decides to do to appease its customers should not be a basis for how we govern a free society. After 9/11, there were many people that were fearful of Muslims. Can you imagine if we had taken measures to appease the fears of those people? I mean, just think about that. When a cotton bandanna strapped to someone's face passes as a safety measure, it's obvious that this is more about control and compliance of a people. Realize that many of the people that are the most ardent supporters of masks do not support a mandated vaccine. So, if that's the end game, you know, keep that in mind. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Thank you, ma'am. July 21, 2020 Page 106 MS. ISECKE: Viruses don't just pass through -- MR. MILLER: All right, Mr. Chair. Your next speaker -- if your phone number ends in 3789, you will be up in a moment. After that we have someone whose phone number ends in 6764. MS. YALE: I'm trying to undo it. MR. MILLER: Is your phone number -- is this someone whose phone number is 3789? MS. YALE: Yes, it is. MR. MILLER: All right, ma'am. Can you please state your name for the record, and then you will have one minute. MS. YALE: Hi. My name's Karen Yale, Y-a-l-e. MR. MILLER: You have one minute, ma'am. Please begin. MS. YALE: Hi. I am opposed to the mandate, the mask mandate. If you look at the statistics, right now the COVID numbers are going up, but the deaths are going down, and it's attributed to an increased number of testing. I don't believe that the masks are actually preventing people from getting the virus. Now, you can't prevent people from touching their phones, steering wheels, doorknobs, toilets, and to have everything sterile from that. They rub their eyes, and they get the germs in their mucous membranes. Are we all going to have to wear goggles next? I just feel like -- it's an issue with people having more education on building their immunity than wearing masks. There's studies that show that the masks actually increase germs and increase viruses -- not the viruses, but it's unhealthy to wear the mask. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MS. YALE: I think it should be a personal -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: All right. If your phone number ends in 6764, July 21, 2020 Page 107 you will be up in just a moment. After that will be a phone number that ends in 3937. If your phone number is ending 6764, are you with us? MS. PETERSON: Yes, I am. My name is Mary Peterson, and I am absolutely for the mask mandate. I feel like -- that it needs to be in place just as now all of the stores -- the big stores have put it in place. I feel that as though -- that the smaller stores, if they wanted to be patronized, need to do the same. And that's -- I just ask that you go ahead and pass this mandate today. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Thank you. MR. MILLER: All right. If your phone number ends in 3937, we are trying to reach out to you. If you are there, phone number ending in 3937, please state your name. MR. KELLY: Jim Kelly. MR. MILLER: Mr. Kelly, you will have one minute. MR. KELLY: Thank you. Yes. I'm calling to express my request that you vote no on the mandatory mask issue. You are all politicians. You've bravely and courageously put your name on a ballot, and I applaud you for that. This is a political decision that you have to make based on all the evidence that you've been given. I won't give you any evidence. I'll just say that your vote is a reflection of the leftest bureaucratic Marxist movement in America to dominate America with government tyranny. Now, Mr. Oakes has been given a lot of flack for his courage on the issue of not wearing masks. Medical officials are getting flack because they're expressing medical opinions. You, my friends, are politicians. And if you vote for this mask, you're voting for government tyranny. It's not necessary. Social distancing and the things that we've been doing in Collier County have been working well. Thank you. July 21, 2020 Page 108 And that's my comment. Thank you very much. MR. MILLER: Mr. Chairman, with that, we've made a good-faith effort to contact everyone who has connected with us today. And unless you want me to try to re-call a couple of these two or three names I have here, that would be it, sir. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Why don't you call the names just to -- MR. MILLER: All right, Oscar. We're going to go in the order you just gave them to me. William Norgard, are you with us, sir? William Norgard? (No response.) MR. MILLER: Mr. Norgard. (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. I'm sorry. I skipped a name here, Oscar. Osmani Perez? Osmani Perez, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: One more time for Ms. Perez. (No response.) MR. MILLER: All right. Michelle Woodman. Michelle Woodman, are you with us, ma'am? (No response.) MR. MILLER: And, finally, Sherrilyn Alden. Sherrilyn Alden, are you with us? (No response.) MR. MILLER: And that's the only four names that -- yeah, that would be it, sir. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. I'm going to suggest that we take a short break and then -- the public hearing is closed. Then we'll start the discussion of the ordinance. How about 20 minutes to 1:00. That will give us about 16 minutes. Is that July 21, 2020 Page 109 sufficient? COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: 12:40. 12:40, is that when we're coming back? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah, 12:40. All right. We're in recess until 12:40. (A brief recess was had from 12:23 p.m. to 12:40 p.m.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: The meeting of the County Commission will please come back to order. We're now on the request for consideration by Commissioner Fiala -- I mean, Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Taylor, do you have any comments before we turn to Commissioner Solis to describe -- or discuss the terms of the proposed order? COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Just a couple of comments. It struck me the comments of some of the speakers about you've been struggling [sic] this for four -- for four -- at four meetings. This is No. 4. So, I asked our County Manager to put something that my office just compiled, which happens to do with the rate of infection. As of June 9th, 2020, was 9.9 percent, and today it's 15.63 percent. Maybe that's why we didn't pass any kind of -- we were resistance [sic] to do masks, because it was 9.9. If it was 9.9, we'd be just perfect in terms of that's where we need to be below that 10 percent mark. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Could I suggest that -- let's turn to the ordinance itself. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: So, given that, one of the things we have to struggle with, or we have to decide -- and I think it's a valid concern. When is this going to sunset? How are we going to craft it? Do we base it on our rate of infection? The suggestion, perhaps, morality rate, and I would like to bow to my colleagues here in terms of how do we give the public July 21, 2020 Page 110 reassurance that this is not something that's going to continue on forever? This is a -- it's a measure to address a rising COVID infection. So I'll turn it over to my colleagues here. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Solis, if you could maybe kind of walk us through the proposed order. I know Commissioner McDaniel has a comment to make, but let's get into the -- COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Sure. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: -- proposed order so we can at least massage that and see if there's going to be any changes. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. The proposed order, in Section 3, it says, an owner, manager, employee, customer, or patron of a business establishment must wear a face covering while in the business establishment, okay. And then the next section states that the requirements don't apply to -- and it lists most of the things that people raised today: Restaurants, gyms, barbershops, beauty salons, when wearing a face covering would reasonably interfere with services. And, most importantly, Section 4 specifically addresses people with disabilities, you know. So, I think what I had asked the County Attorney to do was to look at the ordinances that were in effect in other places and put together the best of what we could find. So, I agree, number one, that having a time frame is good, and I would just suggest, let's just put a time frame on it. You know, the head of the CDC said that if we wore masks for a certain period of time in the country, that the infection rate would go down quickly, you know. So, I would suggest -- and I have the quote here somewhere -- that we just put a six-week time frame on it from today. Six weeks it sunsets. I'm sorry. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: And we revisit it. July 21, 2020 Page 111 COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right, if we revisit it. And if -- obviously, if there's a drastic change in it, then we could revisit it earlier. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Right. I would suggest that we come up with a date. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And we just simply say if this order passes, that it expires on that date. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Right. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So six weeks would give us a day. We have a meeting in early September, so we're talking about early September. What's our first meeting in September? MR. OCHS: You meet on September 3rd for your budget, sir. That's a Thursday evening. That's your first meeting back. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. And we can come in earlier that day if necessary. Let's have it expire on September 3rd. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: That's -- and that's a clear-cut date so there's no -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: At midnight on September 3rd unless we meet on September 3rd to extend it. All right. Is that all right? COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Right. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: That's fine. The other thing I would suggest is in terms of the fines that what we could do is we could fashion it where first there's a warning and then there's one fine, and if there's another violation, another fine, and then a third violation, it's another fine, so it's a graduated thing, you know, as opposed to immediately going to a $500 fine, because there will be, I'm sure, some newness to it, and people have to, you know, get used to it, so... CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Mr. Klatzkow, if you could -- the July 21, 2020 Page 112 way that this would work would be code enforcement. MR. KLATZKOW: Yeah. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: If you could explain how that would work. MR. KLATZKOW: The way Code Enforcement typically works -- it's a fine not to exceed 500. Typically, the first violation, the Code Enforcement Board might issue a 75 or $100 fine. Second violation, they'll go up to 250 -- COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. MR. KLATZKOW: -- and the third violation is when they typically say, okay, now it's 500. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: The other important point of that, though, is if there is a complaint and Code Enforcement goes to the business and determines that the business operator is not requiring masks, then typically what happens is they get a warning or a notice of violation and a certain time period to cure. MR. KLATZKOW: Yes. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So if you could kind of explain that, because with our Code Enforcement, our goal has always been compliance, not punishment. MR. KLATZKOW: That's correct. Punishment is sort of like a last resort when we have a recalcitrant violator. Most cases resolve amicably between Code Enforcement and the violator. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And then, ultimately, that can be appealed to this board. MR. KLATZKOW: Ultimately -- no. Ultimately, it goes -- from the Code Enforcement Board, it would go to the Court. But at the end of the day only a minority of the violations actually make it to the Code Enforcement Board. Then only a minority of those violations actually make it to a second violation. It's the small minority of people who just won't comply. July 21, 2020 Page 113 COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Well, and that was -- I guess that's the way it's set up anyway, so that's the way it would work. That's what I was suggesting is -- so I don't know that we need to do anything there. But those are really the -- and the changes that, Commissioner Saunders, you had requested last time, I think, were fine as well, deleting the -- any kind of sheriff's involvement or any kind of criminal penalty of any kind. The one thing that I'm open to discussing is the ordinance said, it shall not apply to children under two, and I think we were in the middle of a discussion about what that age would be, and I -- you know, not being an expert in that area. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I just kind of picked a number out of the air, which was 10, but I've now read -- and I don't know if the manager can correct this or not, but the spread of the virus by children nine and under is very, very rare. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: So the time frame wasn't particularly off the mark, but maybe we need to reduce that to nine years old. Children nine and under as opposed to 10 and under. I think that's compliant -- or consistent with some of the new data that's out. COMMISSIONER FIALA: Mr. Chairman, this is Donna Fiala. I don't think you heard me before when I replied that -- because my mute button was on, but I'm here, too. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Good, good. We were going to get to you to make sure whatever comments you have would be aired here. So, if we could change that to nine, I think that's good. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. And that's fine with me. I don't know if there's -- if there's any other -- any other changes. But with those changes, I would make a motion that we adopt this July 21, 2020 Page 114 emergency order. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Are there any other suggested changes before we entertain a second to the motion? COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: There's not any suggested changes to the motion because -- or to the ordinance, because I was advised by our County Attorney that I have some other thoughts but not to incorporate that into the ordinance. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. If -- and maybe I -- I was little too hasty -- but if there's other changes that you would like, Commissioner, into the ordinance, I'd withdraw that, and we can start over, or -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No, no. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I did have one question and perhaps a change. In reference to the cities, right now this would apply countywide, which would include the cities, I believe. Is that correct, Mr. Klatzkow? MR. KLATZKOW: No. It's just for unincorporated Collier County. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Do we want to provide for the cities to opt in, have that opportunity to opt in? Of course that -- I guess -- MR. KLATZKOW: It's usually opt out. Usually you include them, and they have the right to opt out. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yep. Well, we could do it either way. And so, if we said that the cities can opt out, that means they're in this. We're putting them in this today if it passes. I don't have a problem with the opt out. I think there needs to be some way for the cities to either opt out of this or -- COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Or just -- July 21, 2020 Page 115 CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Or we could give them the option to opt in, but I think we need to do one of those two. And I'm good either way. We can do the opt out. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Well, the City of Naples, I mean, their next meeting after their break is in August. I think it's maybe August the 10th. I'm not exactly sure when this is, but I believe that if they were to opt out, then that means they would be governed by this ordinance which they may or may not agree to. So, I'd rather have them opt in. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I was under the impression that they were meeting tomorrow. No? MR. KLATZKOW: And I don't know how our code enforcement can go into the City of Naples and -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: It doesn't really matter. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Just do it as an opt in. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: That's fine. COMMISSIONER FIALA: And what about the City of Marco? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Same thing. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: And Everglades. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: And Everglades. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All three cities. If they want to participate in -- if the order passes, any other cities want to participate, then there will have to be a vote of their council to opt in. So, we're not mandating this on any of the cities. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: And they could also opt out and adopt their own or some variation of something that they would want to do -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: -- if they wanted to do something July 21, 2020 Page 116 other than what we're doing. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Absolutely. So if the City Council meets tomorrow, they can opt in, they can accept that invitation to opt in if they want, or they can not opt in, do their own thing. But I think having the opt in is the best approach. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Fine. I would amend my motion to include that as well. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. I don't have any other changes that I would recommend. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and second your motion, because I think we're pretty much where we were a week ago. And let's discuss the merits of the motion. Commissioner McDaniel. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: I want to ask my colleagues a question. If you've been listening to yourself while you've been discussing this ordinance, every single rationale that you have come up with to promote and pass this ordinance has been arbitrary. You picked -- don't shake your head, Commissioner Solis. You picked an arbitrary date to sunset the ordinance. You picked an arbitrary methodology of allowing for enforcement of the ordinance. We have not seen any good data. You brought us back two weeks -- or a week ago, Commissioner Solis, after you convened a meeting of a voluntary organization that you were appointed to by our board to give us advice on the expenditure our TDT dollars, our tourist development tax dollars, to garner support for your ordinance, and I thought that was -- that was a rather interesting move on your behalf. It was a bit of a reach, candidly, but I saw nothing but -- I understand. You don't have to agree with me and you, obviously, don't. But I'm sharing with you now what I didn't share with you last week. You provided no real data other than anecdotal that Collier July 21, 2020 Page 117 County was operating at a deficit for tourist dollars and brought in a lot of people to say and, then theoretically, support the TDC coming back and telling us that it was good to do the mandate. Commissioner Taylor, today you have reconsidered your vote from last week. You certainly have that right. Again, anecdotal data is what you have provided so far that I have seen that shares with me that you've had a change of heart. I have served on this board with you folks for three-and-a-half years. I have watched you methodically move through the process, hear every single side, deploy our staff to gather information, bring us data. The one thing we can all singularly agree is we don't have enough data. We haven't deployed our staff. I've heard legal allegations. Correct, right or wrong. You two are the lawyers. I'm not. But I've heard constitutional issues. I've heard other states that have actual court agenda items and/or hearings that have come up that have disavowed the legality of face mask ordinances across our country. Have we heard from any of our staff about the communities that surround us, Miami-Dade and Broward, Orlando, Orange County, Tampa, Pinellas? Have we heard about -- they have all had face mask -- excuse me -- face mask mandates for quite some time. Have we heard about their count with positivity? From anybody? No. Have we heard about their increase or decrease in hospitalizations from anybody? No. Have we heard about the fatalities? No. I would request -- and I know this is a rather arduous subject -- that we continue this item, we deploy our staff to go gather data from assured sources as much as is possible, to come back and allow us to actually have a discussion with what I would consider to be real data and comparison as to what's, in fact, going on. Commissioner Taylor, you put a slide up today with regard to July 21, 2020 Page 118 the increase in our positivity. There is no rationale with that data that you provided that talks about the level of test increases that have, in fact, transpired. There is no rationale that 25 percent of the 52,000 tests that have been conducted in Collier County were done in Immokalee on less than 10 percent of the overall population of our county and on a population that has traveled at 20 percent positivity since May 2nd, the day before we stood up the National Guard testing facility. I've regularly talked about education. We haven't put any effort into education. We're professing to put a feel-good mandate on the law-abiding citizens of our community today based upon anecdotal data. We haven't -- as we have done in the past, we haven't deployed our staff to go get that information and bring it to us. I would suggest that we continue this item, we come back next week, deploy our staff, get a report from our County Attorney with regard to the legalities of such, get a report from our staff with regard to the case counts, the hospitalizations, and the fatalities from the communities in Florida that have already had face masks in for quite some time. Do the hearing in the evening, by the way, when the majority of the population isn't at work with the considerably longer than -- and, again, all due respect. You have the right to do what you did today. But less than 24-hour notice is not sufficient for me, necessarily, to allow for proper public input. I have another thought for you. When John here, the stand-in director of our Health Department, I talked to him a little bit about the protocol that's established by the Health Department and how they're managing the positive cases. Did you hear what I heard? 85 percent is their contact rate with the positive cases in Collier County, and that sounds -- to a banker, that's a pretty decent collection rate, but that means 15 percent of the people that tested July 21, 2020 Page 119 positive slipped back into wherever they came from and weren't touched, and on 8,000 total cumulative cases in Collier County, that's 1,200 people that went untouched, number one. Number 2, have you looked -- and you have heard -- I have heard what the Epidemiology Department for the Health Department, in fact, does when a positive case transpires. They make a phone call to that person. They suggest that it's their obligation to self- quarantine. They don't really check back. Sometimes they don't check at all. And, again, I'm not throwing -- I kind of am throwing rocks. But I would really like for us to explore proactive steps that would really help our community in controlling the spread of this virus. A fictitious, unenforceable mandate on law-abiding citizens is not the path. Proactive steps on managing the positive cases, assistance. We've just got $67 million coming from the federal government to help people try to maneuver through this pandemic, to maneuver through this virus. Let's do what we've always done. Get real data, make pragmatic decisions not based upon emotion, and certainly not based upon fear. (Applause.) COMMISSIONER FIALA: Might I add something -- just one thing to that? This is Donna Fiala. And we have heard that a very high percentage of these cases are in nursing homes. Is that -- can they get that information for us as well? CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Fiala, do you have any other comments in reference to the ordinance? And I don't know if you want Mr. Ochs to answer that question, but I think the answer is that that data is available. I don't know that -- COMMISSIONER FIALA: I know I read 77 percent, but I don't -- I don't know if I read it correctly. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Any other -- do you have any July 21, 2020 Page 120 other comments, Commissioner Fiala, because we're going to be voting on this in just a few minutes. I want to make sure everybody has an opportunity. COMMISSIONER FIALA: No. That was it. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: On the motion -- I seconded that motion last week, and I've seconded it again today -- there has been some changes since last week. And one of the -- I'm just going to read a paragraph, because I think everybody's probably seen this. But it was Trump reverses course on masks calling them patriotic after allies split with him. And the quote is simply this: It says, the President who for months resisted covering his face in public Tweeted, quote, it is patriotic to wear a mask when you can't socially distance, and then that's the end of that quote. And Vice President Mike Pence told governors in a teleconference that he supported their mask mandates with the administration even sending a memorandum to New Jersey recommending that it continue its order. And the thing that's new, I think, is simply that people recognize that if you look at some of the Asian countries in the Far East where wearing a mask is just kind of the standard, they have been able to keep the spread -- UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS: This is America. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I understand that this is America. And one of the things I think that we can do as Americans is learn from folks from other parts of the world. Please. I'm going to continue repeating myself until everybody just stops interrupting. I think one of the things that we can do is learn from the experience of other countries that began wearing masks very early on and have been able to suppress the spread of this virus. They've been able to open their economies much more effectively. July 21, 2020 Page 121 So I think one of the things we've learned is that wearing a mask, it's an inconvenience, but it's one that will, in the long run, potentially -- we obviously don't know all the answers -- but will potentially slow the spread, stop the spread, and permit us to grow our economy much more quickly than if we simply let this virus continue to spread. Somebody said that herd immunity was what we needed. Well, England tried herd immunity. It didn't work very well. For herd immunity to be effective, the experts are saying you need 60, 70, 80 percent of the population to have immunity. The only way we're going to get to those types of numbers is with a vaccine. And so, I think this is a fairly simple inconvenience that, in the long run, I think, will have a significant positive for our economy and for our health, so that's why I seconded this motion. Any other comments on this? Commissioner Taylor. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No comments on this. I'm going to save my comments for what I'd like to -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: -- suggest -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. I have a subsequent motion I'm going to make as well if this passes. Commissioner Solis, this was your -- COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Yeah. I was just -- I was just going to say that the President's comments were actually in a Tweet, and I actually have a copy of the Tweet if anybody would like to see it. You know -- and I understand that Commissioner McDaniel disagrees with our position but, you know, we find ourselves in a place where there's all sorts of data. The reality of it is, we've heard all sorts of data, and we pick and choose -- you pick yours. We pick ours. July 21, 2020 Page 122 You know, I said this at the beginning when we started talking about what we were going to do with our beaches, and that was, you know, we have experts that are our experts. They're our experts. They're not somebody else's experts. The Department of Health is here to advise us. And the CDC is our experts. It's not somebody else's experts. And, you know, we have looked at data from all sorts of organizations, including the CDC. So I disagree that we haven't looked at any data, we haven't been presented any data. In terms of the TDC, I presented data from the TDC. I mean, the TDC has provided sales data comparing revenues, bookings, all sorts of things every month. And when we looked at those, it showed a significant drop, significant drop, in booking. And, you know, I have right here the -- what NABOR has published, and we can put this on the visualizer in terms of what has happened in the real estate market between May of 2020 and May of 2019. I think that came out yesterday or this morning even. So, there is data. And it's the data that, in my opinion, we're supposed to rely upon. This -- the idea that this is not having a significant impact on our tourism market, real estate market, it is -- it's real, and the data is there. So, I appreciate that we're not all going to see it the same way but, again, I feel compelled, because we're in the -- we are in a health crisis. I mean, the president now is supporting wearing a mask as being patriotic. I mean, this is his Tweet. So, this is -- this is the most significant thing that's happened, I think, in Collier County potentially ever. And, yeah, it's a difficult thing. It's a very emotional thing, but I feel compelled that this is what we have to do. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: And before I turn to Commissioner McDaniel, I just want to also point out that we did July 21, 2020 Page 123 eliminate churches and religious services from the application of this, so churches are -- hopefully churches will exercise caution, but they're not covered by this proposed order. Commissioner McDaniel? COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: We have to hold the outbursts, folks. Agree or disagree, you can obviously see that this is -- this is an emotionally charged circumstance. I am extremely passionate about what it is that I'm saying. There's a phenomenon, Commissioner Solis, that's known as the enlightenment of self interest. That is, in fact, what is transpiring here. I've watched the people in the audience. This fellow here shaking his head yes and no with those that he agrees with and then against for those that he doesn't agree with. We have a tendency to feed our own predetermined final outcomes with the information and data that fortifies the opinion that you have maintained since this entire process broke out. It hasn't necessarily been on data. It's been based upon emotion. It's been based upon fear. I'm not in opposition of wearing masks. I have advocated from the beginning that we need to educate our population on the benefits of wearing a mask, especially, as the president, when you find yourself -- and CDC has said, when you find yourself in a place where you can't properly socially distance. And I have also advocated for education on the proper methodology of wearing masks. It's insane to incite or force people to wear masks that don't know how to do it properly. We -- I watched people today messing with their masks. It's an in -- we know, as a general rule, for what bit -- we know there are no absolute -- we're incentivizing people to touch their face. What I'm asking for is the choice. I've asked for it from the beginning, the tolerance of my choice to wear or not wear a mask. July 21, 2020 Page 124 That's all I'm asking for. I show respect for you. If I am in your presence and you're not happy about talking to me while I don't have a mask, I put one on if I want to continue with the conversation. If I don't, then I remove myself from that. And I believe this mandate is nothing other than a feel-good touch. It's actually imposing restrictions on good law-abiding citizens who ought to have the right to choose. There hasn't been any edicts come from any authority to share with us that you have to wear a mask. It's a good idea to wear a mask. There is data that shows a percentage reduction in your capacity to spread the virus if you have it. There is data that shows if you're wearing a mask, you reduce your opportunity to spread the virus, about a 10 percent, best as I can tell. That still means 90 percent of the time the virus is going out the sides and not out the front. So, my request is, again, let's not mandate this on the law-abiding citizens of our community, especially the businesses, Commissioner Taylor. The businesses already have the capacity to enforce what happens within their own premise. Yesterday I visited the veterinarian. Had to take my dog to the vet. And there was a sign on the front of the door: Masks must be worn. I went to my truck, and I got it and I put it on, and I went in and conducted my business, and I left. I had a meeting with Father Orsi yesterday. Really cool priest for St. Agnes. And I said to him two things: Number one, I walk in faith, not fear; number two, if our good Lord believed that I needed to be re-breathing the carbon dioxide that I exhale every single time, I'd have a pipe coming from here and back into me, not a mandate. (Applause.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Commissioner Fiala, July 21, 2020 Page 125 do you have any closing comments? COMMISSIONER FIALA: Commissioner Fiala? I'm sorry. I forgot to un-mute. Excuse me. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I just want to make sure you have full opportunity. Do you have any other comments before we vote? COMMISSIONER FIALA: No, no. No other ones. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I don't see anybody else's light lit up. We have a redraft of an emergency executive order. We have a motion and a second. I don't see any further -- COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Mr. Chair, if you could just review for Commissioner Fiala, who doesn't have the advantage of what -- this redraft, what the changes are. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'm going to ask the County Attorney to do that. MR. KLATZKOW: The first change was to the second-to-last whereas clause on Page 1 where we changed it from two to nine as far as the children go. We changed the business establishment to specifically include spaces of worship. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: To not include. MR. KLATZKOW: That's right. It excludes them. Again, we took out the criminal penalty provision. We added a clause to the applicability so that any of the municipalities in Collier County may opt into the order, and on the effective date, the order is effective through midnight of September 3rd unless otherwise extended by the Board, and I believe those were the only changes. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Sunsets on September 3rd. MR. KLATZKOW: Expires. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah, same thing. All right. We have a motion and a second. Commissioner Fiala, do you have any other comments? July 21, 2020 Page 126 COMMISSIONER FIALA: No. I just wanted to say that Bill McDaniel's speech was excellent. (Applause.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We'll call for the vote. All in favor, signify by saying aye. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed, signify by saying no. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: No. COMMISSIONER FIALA: No. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. Motion passes 3-2. Mr. Ochs, I'm going to make a motion to authorize you to -- and we can talk about an amount -- but to spend a certain amount of money, maybe $25,000, whatever the amount would need to be, to adequately inform all of our businesses of this order and to provide them signage that basically says, pursuant to Collier County order so they can have a sign to post on their businesses. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: You guys should be mandating exercise, eating good, sleeping good. That would do a lot more than wearing masks. I'm sorry, but I'm out of here. You guys are traders. None of you are Republicans. None of you guys are conservatives. You guys are sociopaths. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. So, we're now Communists, we're Socialists, and now we're sociopaths. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: And we're mandating a vaccine. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Yeah. Okay. So, I want to be able to assist businesses, and I don't want them to have to have an expense for getting signs and that sort of thing. So how much money do you think that would be? Is $25,000 a sufficient amount or -- July 21, 2020 Page 127 MR. OCHS: I think that's sufficient, sir. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. So I'm going to make that in the form of a motion that our staff be authorized to expend up to $25,000 to help educate all the businesses as to what this order says, make sure they have copies of it, and also to provide signage to assist in getting the word out to the public. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: May I add to that, I'd like to see if we can't do -- to depend upon the creative in our Collier County, if we can't do something where we acknowledge these businesses -- either on a website, that are complying. I mean, I want this -- it's part of -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I don't want to include that in my motion. I don't want to be trying to pick one business over another, so that's not part of my motion. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No, sir. Well -- okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: You can make an additional motion, but I'm talking about getting the word out to businesses and assisting them in compliance. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Any discussion on that? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Is there a second? COMMISSIONER SOLIS: I'll second. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and second. Commissioner Fiala, did you hear the motion? COMMISSIONER FIALA: Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I did. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. If there's no further -- Commissioner McDaniel. COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Yeah. I think it's a waste of money. If you're going to pass this mandate -- you already have July 21, 2020 Page 128 passed this mandate, and now you're trying to placate your efforts by affording people a reduction in their expenses when a carbon -- I'm actually touching this piece of paper that you brought me, by the way, Jeff. But all you've got to do is write a carbon piece of paper and put "please wear a mask when you come in the door." There's no expense associated with it. It's a waste of taxpayer funds. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Commissioner Taylor. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes. I think Commissioner Fiala had this concept, maybe not related to this particular motion, but she did feel that there needs to be some kind of reward system acknowledgment by not only -- not only letting these businesses know, but also to acknowledge them, and I think you mentioned, Commissioner Fiala, a sticker or something like that. If the motion maker is in agreement, I'd like to weave that into this to have the County Manager -- CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: No. I have a motion that's been seconded. I'm not amenable to changing that motion. You can make an additional motion when we complete this. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Let me -- just a point of discussion. The TDC has actually put together something called the pledge which businesses will agree to do certain things: Mask wearing, social distancing, those kinds of things, and then they can display that they've adopted that pledge. So, the TDC has actually kind of worked on that to help businesses get the word out that they are committed to keeping everybody healthy. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Okay. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: I'll call for the vote. All in favor, July 21, 2020 Page 129 signify by saying aye. COMMISSIONER SOLIS: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Aye. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All opposed? COMMISSIONER McDANIEL: Aye. COMMISSIONER FIALA: Aye. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Commissioner Fiala, how did you vote on that? COMMISSIONER FIALA: I voted opposed. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. That passes 3-2. Are there any additional motions? COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: It's not really a motion, but it's more of a -- I have no additional motions. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: Okay. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: So then there is a concern, and I heard it from a speaker -- Maryann. I didn't get her last name -- where she's a single business -- a woman business owner concerned about enforcement. So, I think -- and I don't know, County Manager, we talked about this -- whether or not businesses can apply for reimbursement under the CARES Act to hire security so that they would not be forced to audit people coming in. There would be a security guard if they felt, as Maryann did, that this would be too much for them to do. So, I don't know if we got an answer or if you felt like this could happen. And it would only be an awareness. And maybe this is part of the education that Mr. -- or Commissioner McDaniel talked about that we would notify businesses that if they felt the need for a security guard to help monitor folks coming in and out of their establishments, that they could apply for reimbursement. MR. OCHS: Yes, ma'am. Last week the Board approved an July 21, 2020 Page 130 allocation of CARES Act funding. A component of that was individual business assistance that allowed businesses to apply for those funds for any expenses directly related to the COVID pandemic and, based on what you described, I would believe they would be eligible to submit for reimbursement of those types of expenses under that component of the CARES Act. COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Good. Thank you. CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Anything else? (No response.) CHAIRMAN SAUNDERS: All right. Seeing none, we are adjourned. ***** July 21, 2020 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 1 :21 p.m. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS/EX OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD(S) OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS UNDER ITS CONTROL Ae4,)1%.,,Ae4t.40— BURT SAUNDERS, CHAIRMAN ATTEST CRYSTAL K,.KINZEL, CLERK Attest a_vio Chairmal signaturrpniy. • These minutes approved by the Board on 47 /8 /&3 , as presented or as corrected TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF FORT MYERS COURT REPORTING BY TERRI LEWIS, FPR, COURT REPORTER AND NOTARY PUBLIC. Page 131