Publix, McDonald's, CVS among St. Pete businesses in violation of mask orders

St. Pete enforcing mask rules for business employees

Dan Matics reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s been more than a week since the city of St. Petersburg started requiring everyone to wear a face mask while inside businesses to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

In the first week, the city says it found 84 businesses already in violation of the mask order.

Some of the big names on the list include Publix on 66th St. N, Winn-Dixie on 62nd Ave., Home Depot on 22nd Ave. N, Lowe's Home Improvement on 25th St. N, McDonald's on 62nd Ave. N, two CVS locations, two Dunkin Donuts locations, and nearly a dozen gas stations and fast-food restaurants (full list below this article).

James Corbett says all it takes is one employee not wearing a mask to get fined.

“We are not picking on anyone. We are trying to help them out. We want to make sure they’re safe as well as their customers,” Corbett said.

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The Centers for Disease Control says face coverings are one of the best ways to slow the infection rate of coronavirus and Corbett says the St. Pete mask ordinance is to prevent another shutdown.

“We are helping make sure the business can continue to operate and we don’t get to a point where the spike gets so out of control we have to shut down again,” he said.

In St. Petersburg, the first offense is $100, the second offense is $250 and every offense after that is $500.

The city says it is focused on business compliance but individuals can also be fined for not wearing a mask while doing business in an indoor public space.

Two of the small businesses on the city's list have since expressed frustration to FOX 13, saying code compliance investigators never told them they were doing anything wrong. And Publix issued a statement saying the company was not cited for a violation at its store on 66th St. N.

A city spokesperson later told FOX 13 that citations are not issued in-person but could possibly be mailed out to businesses in the future.

The following businesses were found to be in violation of the mask order between June 22 and July 1, according to the city of St. Petersburg:

4th Street Pizza 3187 4th St N
7 Eleven 10820 Gandy Blvd
7-11 855 Tyrone Blvd N
ABC Fine Wine & Spirits 3535 4th St N
Amped Fitness 830 3rd Ave S
Amscot 2551 34th St S
Arby's 571 34th St N
Autonation Ford St. Petersburg 2525 34th St N
B Blaze Hair Boutique Llc. 2810 34th St S
Banana's Records 2887 22nd Ave N
Biff Burger 3939 49th St N
Blue Nile Food Store 1600 18th Ave S
Boost Mobile 1400 18th Ave S Unit B
Boost Mobile 2215 Dr. MLK Jr St S
Central Mart 3710 Central Ave
Checkers 3501 34th St N
Chile Verde 2801 22nd Ave N
Chillwill Freshcutz 1139 Dr. MLK Jr St S
Citgo 3801 6th St S
Courigan's 1 Beach Dr Se #41
Crab House 811 Dr. MLK Jr St S
CVS 2200 34th St N
CVS 2100 66th St N
Déjà Vu Café 401 1st Ave N
Dollar General 201 38th Ave N
Dunkin Donuts 3000 22nd Ave N
Dunkin Donuts 1046 4th St N
Edward Jones 6501 Central Ave
El Tenampa Restaurant 1800 16th St N
Exxon 5797 38th Ave N
Food Max Meat Market 1400 18th Ave S
Fray's Donuts 649 34th St N
Gordon Food Service Store 3131 4th St N
Great Wall Chinese Restaurant 1024 62nd Ave N
Grumpy Gringo 2510 22nd Ave N
HD Aluminum & Glass 2540 22nd Ave N
Home Depot 2300 22nd Ave N
Hungry Howie’s 6570 Central Ave
Ivy League Barber Shop 4735 22nd Ave S
J K Nail & Spa 2930 34th St S
Jett's 900 16th St S
Kay Food 1421 22nd St S
La Italia Mia, Inc 1165 62nd Ave N
Lovely Nail and Spa Salon 2830 34th St N
Lowe's Home Improvement 2365 25th St N
Marine Supply Warehouse 1427 4th St N
McDonald’s 925 62nd Ave N
Metro Pcs 1766 22nd St S
My Place in Recovery 1655 16th St S
Per Pinellas Recovery 1601 16th St S
Per Pinellas Recovery 1523 16th St S
Pet Supermarket 3439 49th St N
Pinch A Penny 1100 62nd Ave N
Pink & White Nails 932 58th St N
Pitas Republic 10454 Roosevelt Blvd
Poppo's Taqueria 1033 Central Ave
Professional Insurance 5700 1st Ave N
Publix 1600 66th St N
Quick Pharmacy 6578 Central Ave
Quick Pick Foods 800 58th St N
Rollbotto Sushi 221 1st St Ne
S.A.S Security Lock and Key 803 34th St N
Salem's Gyros 1605 18th Ave S
Sammi T Llc 5533 Central Ave
Sexy Lady Beauty Supply 1778 22nd Ave S
Shell Gas Station 2210 Dr. MLK Jr. St N
Shell Gas Station 2325 Ulmerton Rd
Sherwin Williams 899 34th St N
Smith Funeral Home 1534 18th Ave S
Somel Inc 4610 Central Ave
St. Pete Radiator 1707 16th St S
Steep Station 2901 Central Ave
Stone Mart 2460 22nd Ave N
Tatum Bait & Tackle 2445 34th St S
The Carpet Store 2860 22nd Ave N
The Tree Brothers Market 1040 16th St S
Treasure Island 6576 Central Ave
United Transmissions & Auto Repair 1008 16th St S
Walgreen's 5767 38th Ave N
West Central Design 6505 Central Ave
Wherehouse 701 Dr. MLK Jr St S
Winn Dixie 1049 62nd Ave N
Winn Dixie 2139 34th St N
Wonderland Floral Art & Gift Loft 2887 22nd Ave N

Editor's note: This story has been updated with more reaction from businesses and the city of St. Petersburg since its initial publication.

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