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LIST: St. Pete businesses busted for not enforcing mask mandate

Posted at 10:56 PM, Jul 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-01 23:16:47-04

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- ABC Action News has obtained a list of businesses found in violation of St. Pete's mask mandate.

According to codes compliance director James Corbett, investigators with the City of St. Pete have inspected more than 1,600 business, issuing 56 municipal ordinance violations.

Each violation comes with a $100 fine, which can be disputed in front of a judge.

"There was an instance where a business owner wasn’t very kind to one of my investigators, but a customer after the interaction came and thanked my investigator for what we were doing," said Corbett.

There's a range of businesses that have been found non-compliant since the ordinance went into full effect last week, including restaurants, Amped Fitness, Winn-Dixie, Boost Mobile, even a barbershop.

Management at Rollbotto Sushi in downtown St. Pete called the violation an "embarrassing mishap."

ABC Action News visited the sushi shop on Wednesday and found everyone, from customers to staff members, covering their faces.

"We’re doing our best to keep all the masks on, wash hands, try to keep the distance," said Andrew Jacobson. "I have a one-year-old daughter so obviously it’s pretty important to me that we all stay as clean and safe as possible."

According to the city of Tampa, there have been more than 80 complaints made regarding businesses not enforcing its mask mandate since June 22.

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