Broward County curfew begins tonight

Broward County, Florida – A reminder for Broward County residents — the holiday curfew begins at midnight tonight.

The curfew starts Dec. 25 and continues though Jan. 4 from midnight to 5 a.m. The two exceptions are Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when the curfew will begin at 1a.m.

“Have your champagne toast at midnight, and still get home in time for the curfew,” Broward County Mayor Steve Geller said about New Year’s Eve.

According to Geller, the county saw a spike in COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving and he is expecting another surge in January from the holidays.

“We’re begging people not to get together in large numbers. As I have said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Geller said.

Exemptions include active duty police, fire rescue, first responders, and people traveling to and from work. Also, people traveling directly between their homes and an airport, train or bus terminal associated with commercial air, train, or bus travel are also exempt.

Geller said there will be fines imposed for anyone not adhering to the curfew.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ September order prevents local governments from collecting fines, but the mayor said the order won’t last forever.

“We can collect on the fines as soon as the order is done and we will collect on the fines,” Geller said.

Broward County’s curfew announcement came this week, a day after a federal judge ruled that the county could not shut down bars and restaurants overnight.