ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – In the past month, Orange County strike teams designed to make sure that local businesses are following coronavirus guidelines have been busy performing inspections and what they’ve found is that most establishments are in compliance.
Of the more than 1,400 visits conducted between July 23 and Monday, 221 businesses were not in compliance, 1,148 were following the rules and the remaining 114 were listed as “other.”
An overwhelming majority of the visits were listed as proactive, meaning the strike teams went their on their own accord, while the others were triggered by a citizen compliant.
[READ: Orange County strike teams to visit businesses suspected of not following mask mandate, CDC guidelines | Orange County strike teams aim to gain compliance by educating businesses on COVID-19 measures]
Salons, restaurants, gas stations, attractions, car dealerships, gyms, grocery stores and massage parlors were all included on the list. None of the major theme parks, including Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, were listed.
Among those not in compliance was Fun Spot off International Drive, which a strike team visited on Aug. 12 after a citizen complaint.
“Amusement park not enforcing COVID-19 safety requirements for guests or vendors, including face masks. No physical distancing reminders entrance or entrances to attractions,” the report read.
Of the 69 businesses that were visited twice, 57 were in compliance by the time the strike team visited the second time while 12 were still not in compliance.
Businesses in that dozen were either given letters of noncompliance or given hand sanitizer, masks or other supplies to help them follow guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Multiple gas stations were on the list of businesses found in noncompliance a second time. Employees at those convenience stores said it was difficult to get customers to follow the rules and doing so could potentially put them at risk. In one case, an employee said a customer refused to wear a mask because he’s a concealed weapons permit holder.
In the case of one barber shop and one pizza place, it was the owners who refused to wear masks while doing their jobs, according to the report.
Other violations included no floor markings to designate six feet of space, a lack of signage letting patrons know they need to wear masks and not having hand sanitizer available.
The businesses that fell into the “other” category have either permanently closed or were not open when the strike team tried to visit.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced the creation of the strike teams in mid-July to target “bad actors” and get them to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Scroll through the document below to see all the places the strike teams have visited.