SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — After nearly 10 months, Seminole County leaders are deciding what to do about an executive order recommending people wear facial coverings in the county.   

After hours of sometimes heated public input, the Seminole County Commission voted 3-2 to keep the mask mandate in place for the time being.

Several medical experts said mitigating factors for COVID-19, including facial coverings, should continue.

However, the majority of residents who were passionately speaking at the meeting Tuesday, said the facial covering order must end. Some said it’s government overreach and people should have the right to choose. 

Those working at Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery on First Street in Sanford said safety is key while keeping the doors open during the pandemic.   

“We require masks for all guests, and we also require social distancing — just to keep everybody safe,” said gallery manager Bailey Wight.  

Even if the Seminole County commissioners had decided to do away with the mask mandate, Wight said guests and employees in the gallery would still have needed to continue wearing masks. 

“Less than half the county is vaccinated, and we just want to wait,” said Wight.

At Tuesday’s county commission meeting, several health experts weighed in, saying a facial covering is a strong mitigation factor as community spread of the virus continues.

“We need to believe that we still have a pandemic because we do. We need to know that we have mitigation strategies that work, cause they do. And we know that when we stop following those we have an increase in the transmission of the disease,” said Seminole County medical director Dr. Todd Husty.

Cheryl Bryant wants the county to end the facial covering requirement. 

“The remedy is worse than the disease,” she said.

Bryant owned a business in Longwood for months during the pandemic and said she left wearing a facial covering up to her customers. 

“We put up a sign that said if you’d like to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear a mask,” said Bryant.

Whether customers are for facial coverings or against them, Wight hopes everyone remains respectful.   

“I think that we’re going to have to keep the signs up, keep talking to customers. Keeping communication lines open,” said Wight.

As part of the 3-2 vote, commissioners also voted to end the mandate once 50% of the county's eligible population is fully vaccinated.

The mask mandate will be reviewed every 30 days, or ever second commission meeting, based on the current rate of COVID-19 transmission.

The ordinance could also be ended if medical experts deemed it acceptable to do so.

Tuesday's decision was met with opposition from many members of the public who argued the mandate should have ended a long time ago. 

Kelly Shilson said she was disappointed in the three commissioners who voted to keep the mandate in place, calling them RINOs (Republicans in name only), "because they're not standing up for our constitutional rights."

"They are standing up and perpetuating the fear that is unnecessary at this point," she said.

Commissioner Jay Zembower, who introduced the motion to keep the mandate in place, said his vote was made with public safety in mind, not politics.

"I understand what they're saying," he said. "I don't like masks any more than the next person. We all want it to be over. We're all trying to cope with it the best we can.

"We all want to see this come to an end, but at the same time, we have to protect 480,000 people in this community."

Zembower said even if the decision costs him his spot on the Commission, he made it for the right reason.

"Whether I'm reelected or not, I'm going to make the right decision based on those experts," he said.