HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrder No. 20-006 - Reduced Operations Order (03-31-20)Order No. 20-006
AN ORDER OF THE ST. LUCIE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR PROVIDING FOR REDUCED
OPERATIONS IN RESPONSE TO A COUNTY WIDE THREAT FROM THE COVID-19 VIRUS
WHEREAS, the St. Lucie County Administrator has made the following determinations:
1. Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") is a severe acute respiratory
illness that can spread among humans and presents with symptoms similar to those of influenza;
and
2. In late 2019, a new and significant outbreak of COVID-19 emerged in China; and
3. The World Health Organization previously declared COVID-19 a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern; and
4. In response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak in China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South
Korea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC') has deemed it necessary to
prohibit or restrict non -essential travel to or from those countries; and
5. On March 1, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order
Number 20-51 directing the Florida Department of Health to issue a Public Health Emergency;
and
6. On March 1, 2020, the State Surgeon General and State Health Officer declared
a Public Health Emergency exists in the State of Florida as a result of COVID-19; and
7. On March 7, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida directed the Director of the
Division of Emergency Management to activate the State of Emergency Operations Center to
Level 2 to provide coordination and response to the COVID-19 emergency; and
8. On March 9, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order
Number 20-52 declaring that a state of emergency exists in the State of Florida as a result of the
spread of the COVID-19 virus and imminent threat to the health and welfare of the citizens of
Florida; and
9. The CDC currently recommends community preparedness and that everyday
prevention measures should be taken by all individuals and families in the United States, including
voluntary home isolation when individuals are sick with respiratory symptoms, covering coughs
and sneezes with a tissue and disposal of the tissue immediately thereafter, washing hands often
JOSEPH E. SMITH, CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT
SAINT LUCIE COUNTY
FILE # 46NO01 04/02/2020 09:02:21 AM
OR BOOK 4403 PAGE 2210 - 2215 Doc Type: ORD
RECORDING: $52.50
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, using alcohol -based hand sanitizers with 60%-95%
alcohol if soap and water are not readily available and routinely cleaning frequently touched
surfaces and objects to increase community resilience and readiness for responding to an
outbreak; and
10. The CDC currently recommends mitigation measures for communities
experiencing an outbreak including staying at home when sick, keeping away from others who
are sick, limiting face-to-face contact with others as much as possible, consulting with your
healthcare provider if individuals or members of a household are at high risk for COVID-19
complications, wearing a facemask if advised to do so by a healthcare provider or by a public
health official, staying home when a household member is sick with respiratory disease symptoms
if instructed to do so by public health officials or a health care provider; and
11. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued a proclamation of a
declaration of national emergency; and
12. On March 13, 2020, the Coordinating Officer for the State of Florida Division of
Emergency Management issued Emergency Order No. 20-004, authorizing the Department of
Education to delay school assessments and to adjust school calendars including rescheduling,
extending or cancelling spring breaks; and
13. On March 16, 2020, President Donald J. Trump and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (`CDC') issued the "15 Days to Slow the Spread" guidance advising
individuals to adopt far-reaching social distancing measures, such as avoiding gatherings of more
than 10 people, and in states with evidence of community spread, recommending restrictions to
certain establishments conducive to mass gatherings and congregations; and
14. On March 29, 2020, the President extended such guidance to be in effect until
April 30, 2020; and
15. On March 17, 2020, the St. Lucie County Public Safety Director declared a State
of Local Emergency COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ("St. Lucie County Declaration of
Emergency"); and
16. On March 24, 2020, the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order
No. 20-83 directing the State Surgeon General and State Health Officer to issue a public health
advisory to all persons over 65 years of age and persons that have serious underlying medical
conditions that place them at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 urging them to stay home
and to take such other measures as necessary to limit their risk of exposure to COVID-19; and
17. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-83, the Governor of the State of Florida further
directed the State Surgeon General and the State Health Officer to issue a public health advisory
providing that individuals should cease all social or recreational gatherings of 10 or more people;
and
18. On March 25, 2020, the State Surgeon General issued a Public Health Advisory
consistent with Executive Order 20-83; and
19. On March 25, 2020, the President of the United States declared that a major
disaster exists in the State of Florida as a result of COVID-19; and
20. The State of Florida and St. Lucie County are continuing to experience reports of
illnesses and persons testing positive for the virus; and
21 There has been no indication that the spread of COVID-19 is slowing in the State
of Florida and St. Lucie County; and
22. St. Lucie County must continue to take emergency action to lessen the spread of
COVID-19; and
23. There is reason to believe that COVID-19 is spread amongst the population by
various means of exposure, including the propensity to spread person to person and the
propensity to attach to surfaces for prolonged periods of time thereby creating a dangerous
physical condition spreading from surface to person and causing increased infections to persons,
and also creating property or business income loss and damage in certain circumstances; and
24. This Order is being issued because of the propensity of COVID-19 to spread from
person to person causing widespread infection and loss of life, and also because COVID-19 is
causing property damage and business income loss due to its proclivity to attach to surfaces for
prolonged periods of time and thereby creating a dangerous physical condition; and
25. it is necessary to impose the regulations and restrictions set forth herein in
response to the dangerous physical conditions that currently exists and to stop the COVID-19
virus from spreading; and
26. As St. Lucie County Administrator, I have determined that a Reduced Operations
Order for County employees is a reasonable and prudent action to take in order to ensure the
health, safety, and welfare of the residents of St. Lucie County; and
27. A Reduced Operations Order is an Order that:
• Is less restrictive than total closure of County operations;
• Reduces the number of County employees reporting to work on specified
days in order to further reduce the possibility of community spread of
COVID-19;
• Provides for the County to continue to provide critical mission services to
County residents and businesses;
• Allows additional time for required cleaning and sanitizing County facilities
when non -critical mission or non -emergency employees are not present;
and
• Recognizes the significant contribution of critical mission and emergency
employees to maintaining the health, safety, and welfare of County
residents and businesses during this Declared State of Local Emergency
through additional compensation.
28. Paragraph 2 of the St. Lucie County Declaration of Emergency provides that the
County Administrator may take all actions necessary and appropriate to protect human life and
prosperity, to the extent necessary to accommodate the emergency; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED AS FOLLOWS:
1. The determinations, orders, and declarations identified above are incorporated
herein.
2. A Reduced Operations Order is hereby established effective as of
(pm) on I , 2020. A Reduced Operations Order
means County operations shall be reduced through the closure of County facilities
except for critical mission and emergency employees and services on Fridays
beginning April 3, 2020. This reduction in operations shall continue on a daily basis
until this Order expires or is rescinded.
3. Each County Department Director shall determine which department functions and
employees are deemed critical mission and emergency subject to review and
approval by the County Administrator or his designee. Such employees shall work
their regular schedule in effect prior to the effective date of this Order. Those critical
mission and emergency employees who are considered non-exempt for overtime
purposes under the Fair Labor Standards Act shall be entitled to an increase in
their hourly rate of pay in the amount of $2.50 per hour beginning April 6, 2010
until such time as this Order expires or is rescinded. All other employees deemed
non -critical mission or non -emergency shall be placed on Emergency Standby
status subject to the restrictions forth in the Emergency Standby provisions of the
Employee Handbook and the Collective Bargaining Agreement with Teamsters
Local Union No. 769, as applicable, and shall receive eight hours of pay at their
regular rate of pay for Friday they would normally have been scheduled to work,
as applicable, until such time as this Order expires or is rescinded. This
Emergency Standby pay shall not be counted as time worked for overtime
purposes.
4. County facilities closed pursuant to this Order shall receive additional cleaning and
sanitization prior to reopening on Mondays.
Severability.
Any provision(s) within this Order that conflict(s) with any State or Federal law or constitutional
provision, or conflict(s) with or are superseded by a current or subsequently -issued Executive
Order of the Governor or the President of the United States, shall be deemed inapplicable and
deemed to be severed from this Order, with the remainder of the Order remaining intact and in
full force and effect. To the extent application of some or all of the provisions of this Order is
prohibited on the sovereign land of a federally or state recognized sovereign Indian tribe, such
application is expressly excluded from this Order.
Effective Date; Duration. w
This Order is effective twenty-four hours after adoption as of a. /p.m. on 4WI,
day of
__, 2020. This Order will expire upon the expiration of the existing State of Local
Eme gency, as same may be extended by subsequent order or declaration, unless earlier
terminated by subsequent Order.
Prior resolutions and emergency orders remain in force and effect unless modified or superseded.
This Order shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Signed this day of o''"c , 2020 at (am((pm).
Ha and N. Ti ton
County Administrator
S/Atty/State of Emergency/Order-Reduced Operations