Why A Lawmaker Wants Mar-A-Lago Shutdown
Mar-a-Lago might be President Donald Trump's home away from home, but one Florida lawmaker is coming for the prestigious country club just days after a mask-less New Year's Eve party. Footage from the event was shared by none other than Donald Trump Jr., who took to Facebook to highlight the fun-filled evening which even had a performance from Vanilla Ice. Although he seemed thrilled to share the "amazing" evening with his supporters, many people took issue with the sea of mask-less party-goers at the event.
"When I saw that video, I thought about the staff working at Mar-a-Lago. I thought about their families," Florida Representative Omari Hardy wrote in a letter to Palm Beach County officials, who had extended their mask mandate on the same day as the country club's mass violation. "I thought about the teachers who might be teaching the staff's children when school reopens after Winter Break. I thought about the folks they might encounter at the grocery store or at the pharmacy."
Taking aim directly at the eldest Trump child, Hardy re-shared the video on Twitter, writing, "My constituents are not snowbirds like @DonaldJTrumpJr & @kimguilfoyle. My constituents live here. This is their home, and they're going to have to deal w/ the consequences of a potential super-spreader party at Mar-a-Lago long after Junior & wife leave here on their private jet." Keep scrolling to see the actions that Hardy is taking to close Mar-a-Lago.
Hardy wants Mar-a-Lago to be treated like all other businesses
After footage of the not-so-socially-distant event at Mar-a-Lago went viral, Florida State Representative Omari Hardy is demanding the club be temporarily shut down and fined for disregarding Palm Beach county's mask mandate, per People.
"Mar-a-Lago is a club. A club is a business. Businesses must comply with Palm Beach County's mask order," Hardy argued in a letter to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, which was later published by WPTV West Palm Beach. "I wonder why the County was not prepared to enforce its mask mandate at the New Year's Eve celebration hosted at Mar-a-Lago last night," Hardy said, claiming the event is "common knowledge" among locals. "This event has the potential to be a super-spreader event. We cannot allow businesses and business owners to openly flout our mask order."
Hardy pointed out that violators are subjected to a $250 fine upon their first violation, a $350 fine for a second violation, and a $500 fine for each additional violation. However, Hardy asked the county to not give special treatment to the president and his property.
"In our weekly calls, you noted that the County has shut down businesses for continued noncompliance with the mask mandate," Hardy wrote. "Will the County seek to shut down Mar-a-Lago if it finds that the mask mandate has been consistently flouted there? We must have law and order here in Palm Beach County. What is fair for the average business owner is fair also for the owner of Mar-a-Lago."
Will Palm Beach County take action against Mar-a-Lago?
Representative Omari Hardy — and others infuriated by the mask-less party at Mar-a-Lago — celebrated a small victory on Jan. 4, 2021, after Palm Beach County claimed to have forwarded Hardy's complaint to the COVID Education and Compliance Team, per CBS 12 News. According to the outlet, the team is "responsible for following up with businesses that violate county mask and social distancing ordinances."
However, the county pointed out that moving forward might be tricky since "a number of individuals, groups and organizations traveling to Palm Beach County from other parts of the state and country that may not have the same laws in place as we do." Additionally, the outlet reports that only 10 percent of businesses who violate the county's mask mandate face a citation, fine, or closure, and less than one percent of businesses in violation have closed.
While it's unclear what will happen next to Mar-a-Lago, Hardy seems to be pleased with the progress he's made in order to teach the country club a lesson. "We're one step closer to shutting down Mar-a-Lago," he tweeted after hearing the development. "This was an egregious violation of our mask order. Hundreds of People. Indoors. No Masks. It's a public health catastrophe waiting to happen. No business should get away with this."