Statement by Commissioner Nikki Fried on Clemency Board Waiving of COVID-19 Violations

Tallahassee, Fla. — At today’s meeting of the Florida Executive Board of Clemency, the board voted 3-1 to waive fines and fees for those who violated local COVID-19 public health and safety ordinances. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet and Clemency Board, voted against the proposal today, as she did when Governor Ron DeSantis controversially forced the issue onto the March agenda of the Clemency Board.

Following the vote, Commissioner Fried offered the following statement:

“I voted today to uphold our laws, while our so-called pro-law enforcement Governor is actively encouraging people to break the law with politically-motivated stunts like this. We’ve seen what happens when rogue citizens are empowered by misguided leaders. We have laws for a reason. We may not agree with all of them, but we are obligated to follow them as the price of a civil society. Local leaders made choices to protect health, safety, and local economies during an unprecedented health crisis. We cannot allow this Governor to turn Florida into a ‘cradle of the insurrection’ while we have hundreds of thousands of deserving Floridians waiting for relief from their fines and fees to regain their right to vote.

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