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Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis Was Maskless at the Super Bowl. His Reason Is Awesome.

Beth Baumann
Beth Baumann  |  February 08, 2021 9:35 PM

A photo surfaced of a maskless Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) talking to an individual at the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. Of course, the two were less than six feet apart, which is the recommended spacing to allow for "social distancing." When asked about it, DeSantis defended himself with a common sense response.

"Someone said, 'Hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask,'" he recounted, according to POLITICO's Marc Caputo. "But how the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I had watch the Bucs win."

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (D) said she was frustrated with the number of maskless people who attended the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, including those who celebrated outside the stadium. Before the festivities took place, Castor signed an executive order requiring individuals to wear facemasks, even outside, during the celebration. Those who failed to do so could be issued a $500 fine, the Associated Press reported.

Castor said roughly 200,000 masks were handed out before the game and the majority of people at the stadium followed the rules to wear them. Both the executive order and handing out of masks was the city's way of preventing a superspreader event. 

“I’m proud to say the majority of individuals that I saw out and about enjoying the festivities associated with the Super Bowl were complying,” she said. “They understood their level of personal responsibility and they were doing the right thing. I’m very proud of that.”

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Castor has said law enforcement officials are working to identify those who were seen maskless during the event.