BRADENTON – Starting Friday, business owners in the City of Bradenton will be required to post a visible sign recommending that customers wear masks in public.
“A business is subject to a 75 dollar fine if they don’t comply after a warning. But our code compliance department is going to go out there with signs in hand we’re going to do everything but pin it on the wall for you,” said City of Bradenton Communications Coordinator, Jeannie Roberts.
The ordinance passed unanimously by the city council Wednesday with the intent to educate the public.
“Nobody is required to wear a mask and we are not asking business owners to mandate that. They can if they want in their own business. So we’re asking them to help us encourage the public to wear masks,” said Roberts.
Free, printable signs will be available on their website as well
“The city of Bradenton.com on our COVID-19 page, we have three sample signs,” said Roberts. “We’re hoping that the more signs that are out there, the more encouragement we can give to the public to wear masks. People will stop and think about how important it is that we all wear masks.”
Before the ordinance went into effect, The Sugar Cubed Pastry Lab already had a visible sign posted at the business.
The business owner tells us she wants to keep her staff and guests safe.
“Usually when someone does come in and they don’t have on a mask, and they see us with a mask they either grab their shirt and cover their face or put on a mask or something. All of our customers have been very good about it,” said Owner of Sugar Cubed Pastry Lab, Valencia Mitchell.
The ordinance will go into effect Friday at 12 AM and will expire 60 days after adoption unless extended or repealed.