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Hillsborough commission ends emergency meetings
Aaron Mesmer reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County commissioners voted to end their weekly emergency COVID-19 meetings, instead choosing to incorporate them into their regular commission meetings every two weeks.
The decision came after a recommendation Wednesday from county attorney Christine Beck.
"It is my recommendation that instead of a separate special order meeting each week to address the emergency order, we instead incorporate this item into the regular BOCC meeting," Beck said, adding she had been in communication with the governor's office after his decision to reopen the state. "The correspondence stated that the government bodies should prepare to meet in person beginning November 1, 2020."
Beck suggested the commission plan to begin holding hybrid in-person and virtual meetings in November.
Commissioner Kimberly Overman said she believes making all COVID-19 decisions during those meetings will be a benefit to the public.
"Many of our citizens are very concerned about what's going on," Overman said. "Keeping that part of our regular meeting will allow many citizens to get the information that they need and have twice a month to be able to hear how we're doing, what efforts we're taking."
"This is what they are doing everywhere else and it just makes a lot of sense in moving forward," added Commissioner Pat Kemp.
One of the first items on their COVID-19 agenda in will likely be the mask mandate. Commissioner Stacy White recently told FOX 13 he plans to propose ending the mask requirement as soon as possible.
"It's time to put the mask mandate in the rearview mirror," White said last week, also acknowledging he might be facing an uphill battle because there are several commissioners who have been outspoken supporters of the mask mandate.
The next COVID-19 emergency meeting had been scheduled for Thursday, but it is now canceled. The next county commission meeting is in two weeks.
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