ST. LUCIE COUNTY The county chambers Tuesday were packed. Faces with and without masks were seen throughout the crowd. The reason for the high turnout? The end of the mask mandate.
In a 4-1 vote, the County Commission abolished the face mask requirement a mandate that has been in place since July to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Now, the county will encourage people to wear face masks, rather than require it a similar policy Martin county adopted when it repealed its mask mandate about six months ago.
County-owned buildings and private businesses will be exempt from the mask mandate repeal, according to County spokesperson Erick Gill.