Memorandum
TO: Municipal Attorneys
FROM: Kraig Conn, General Counsel
FROM: Rebecca O’Hara, Deputy General Counsel
SUBJ: Extension of Executive Order 20-69 Local Government Public Meetings
DATE: October 1, 2020
Last night Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-246 (Local Government Public Meetings). The Order extends Executive Order 20-69 (Local Government Public Meetings), which suspends current laws relating to public meetings that require a quorum be present in-person and that a local government body meet at a specific public place, and also authorizes local government bodies to use communications media technology such as telephonic and video conferencing, as provided in section 120.54(5)(b)2, F.S. Executive Order 20-246 extends these authorizations until 12:01 AM on November 1, 2020. The Order does not apply to election canvassing boards.
In a memorandum that accompanied Executive Order 20-246, the Governor emphasized that local governments should prepare for in-person meetings to resume effective November 1, 2020. The memorandum also stated that he was allowing Executive Order 20-211 (Mortgage Foreclosure and Eviction Relief) to expire because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently enacted a nationwide residential evictions order that provides federal eviction relief to persons who submit a valid Declaration to their landlord regarding their inability to pay rent. The Governor explained that he wished to avoid any confusion over whether the CDC’s order should apply in a given circumstance. The CDC’s order expires December 1, 2020, unless extended.
