Florida Judge Won’t Force State Beach Closures to Halt Virus

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot be forced to close beaches statewide to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, a state judge said Tuesday.

Leon County Circuit Judge Kevin Carroll said he did not have the authority to substitute his judgment for the governor’s decisions in a developing public health crisis.

“I don’t know how I can be doing anything but second-guessing what he’s done on beach closures and stay-at-home orders,” Carroll said in a hearing held via teleconference. The judge—who sits in the state’s capital, Tallahassee—ordered the case dismissed.

More than 14,500 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed by the state’s ...