
A growing number of people in Palm Beach County are unhappy with the local mask ordinance, and now they are trying to “prove” their way out of it, officials say.
Last month, county commissioners voted unanimously to require everyone to wear some type of facial covering in buildings.
At the time, several people told the commissioners the ordinance would infringe on their rights.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said last Friday that some people are now trying to find ways to defy the ordinance.
He says they are using fake cards exempting them from having to wear masks, in order to oppose the statute.
“So you have this organization out there that was established recently to allow people to evade mask order around the country,” Aronberg explains. “It’s pretty despicable.”
He says a doctor’s notice is not required to obtain the card.
According to Aronberg, people are downloading the cards from a group called the Freedom to Breathe Agency.
The group has been using the U.S. Department of Justice’s seal as a way to evade masks orders nationwide.
Additionally, Aronberg says individual rights do not supersede the county’s right to enforce a mask ordinance.
“The county has the right to enact a mandatory mask order,” he emphasizes. “The state has the same rights. They can do so in their police power.”