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Orange County Shelter-In-Place Order Issued on March 24

March 25, 2020

By: Tara Tedrow. Rebecca Wilson & McGregor Love

On March 24, 2020, Mayor Jerry Demings signed Orange County, Florida Emergency Executive Order 2020-04. The order, which will become effective on Thursday, March 26 at 11 p.m. and will expire on April 9, sets new standards for the conduct of individuals and businesses in response to the public health crisis caused by COVID-19.

While employees of all businesses may continue to work from home, the order provides that all “non-essential retail and commercial businesses” must close, while businesses listed as “essential” may remain open.

Who may not go to work? Employees of non-essential businesses. Businesses specifically listed as non-essential are those that provide entertainment or recreational services. Accordingly, amusement parks, carnivals, water parks, public pools, zoos, museums, arcades, movie theaters, country clubs, social clubs, playgrounds, and bowling alleys are all closed to the public during this time. 

Who may go to work? Employees of essential businesses. A much more significant portion of the order is dedicated to providing a comprehensive list of essential businesses that may remain open, which includes construction sites, licensed contractors and other tradesmen, and architectural, engineering, and land surveying services. Car dealerships, distributors that supply beverages to restaurants, and construction sites may continue to operate as well. The order also lists as essential “businesses that supply other essential businesses with support and supplies necessary to operate.” (For a full list of businesses considered non-essential and essential, consult the order.)

Aside from restrictions on business operations, residents of Orange County will be able to conduct the following activities through April 9:

  • Visit a health or veterinary care professional, obtain medical supplies or medication
  • Obtain food, grocery items, or other household consumer products, and products necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of residences
  • Pick up food at restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food
  • Fill up vehicles at gas stations
  • Conduct business at banks and related financial institutions
  • Expect service from waste management services, including collection and disposal of waste
  • Engage in outdoor activities and recreation, including, without limitation, golfing, walking, hiking, running, cycling, using scooters, roller skates, skate-boards, or other personal mobility devices
  • Shop at hardware and home improvement stores
  • Use airlines, taxis, and other private transportation providers
  • Shop at pet supply stores
  • Purchase propane or natural gas
  • Shop at auto supply and related facilities
  • Go to laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry-service providers

The order notes that the list of permissible activities should be conducted while practicing social distancing in order to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

For any questions on this order, the attorneys at Lowndes are available to help.

For up-to-date news please follow our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response Team page.

This article is informational only. You should consult an attorney before acting or failing to act. The law may change rapidly and no warranty is given. LOWNDES DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ALL ARTICLES ARE PROVIDED AS IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS. Consult a Lowndes attorney if you wish to establish an attorney/client relationship.
Tara
Tara Tedrow is a shareholder in the firm’s Land Use, Zoning & Environmental Group and serves as chair of the Cannabis & Controlled Substances Group. She brings years of experience handling an array of complex legal matters for multi-billion dollar valued companies and entrepreneurs alike.
With a significant portion of her practice devoted to land use and development, Tara regularly advises clients on entitling projects for commercial, residential, industrial, office and mixed uses. She works with local governments and regulatory agencies to address the needs of her clients related to environmental permitting and compliance, zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, site plan approval, variance and waiver requests, due diligence and property rights.

Often sought out for high-profile and high-stakes land development projects, Tara has delivered positive outcomes for clients ranging from large multi-national and U.S.-based companies to high-net worth individuals seeking land use entitlements. With over 15 years of competitive debate experience, she is uniquely suited to handle complex and controversial projects and public hearings that present a myriad of political and legal challenges.

Tara has provided developers and clients with legal counsel and representation in Section 70.51 mediations. Her experience in land use and environmental dispute resolutions offers a unique benefit to clients navigating the alternative dispute resolution process following denial of a development order, zoning approval and other land use matters around the state.

Well-known for providing legal and lobbying representation for a wide range of cannabis clients, Tara and her team work with physicians, lenders, real estate developers, landlords, ancillary service providers, banks, licensed adult use and medical marijuana companies, cultivators, processors, retailers and license applicants, helping them to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape of marijuana and hemp regulations. She also assists clients in the national hemp industry in obtaining licensing and approvals for processing, retailing, cultivation and other forms of secondary byproduct monetization. Her deep knowledge of regulatory laws and understanding of operations and logistics for cannabis companies, along with her ability to make connections and build partnerships, bring strategic value to her clients. 

Tara is the only person in the state of Florida to be appointed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to both the inaugural Industrial Hemp Advisory Council created under Senate Bill 1020 and to the state’s Hemp Advisory Committee, which she currently chairs. A prolific presenter and speaker at industry seminars and conferences, she has served as the keynote speaker on industry regulations at over 60 events in the past two years. In the fall of 2018, Tara became the first professor in the state of Florida to teach a law school course on marijuana law and policy at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she continues to teach today.

Prior to joining the firm, Tara worked as a legal extern for the University of Florida General Counsel and Office of the Vice President as well as for the Orlando Juvenile Public Defenders Office. For over a decade, she has also worked professionally as a private speech and debate coach and taught at multiple national debate institutes, including the National Debate Forum at Emerson University, the National Symposium for Debate at Grinnell College and Victory Briefs Institute at UCLA.

Tara is a contributing writer at the Orlando Sentinel and has spoken about various real estate topics on Fox News.

To view Tara's information specific to Land Use or Cannabis, click the corresponding links below. 



Land Use
Cannabis
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Rebecca

Becky  Wilson is chair of the firm's Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group. She represents property owners, developers, lenders and other development participants with issues related to zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, administrative law, Developments of Regional Impact (DRI’s), procurement issues, due diligence and property rights.

As early as sixth grade, Becky advocated for the causes she believed in. Her concern about nuclear waste and water contamination in her hometown of Dothan, Alabama – and her thorough research – promoted her to press a state legislator with questions in the school auditorium. Having grown up in the South, Becky got in trouble for questioning authority – yet that life experience served her well.

After clerking for a federal judge in Washington, D.C., Becky landed in Orlando, quickly building a reputation at Lowndes for being thorough, outspoken, and a tireless advocate for clients. She ultimately found her niche in land use, collaborating with architects, transportation engineers and local governments to move her clients’ projects – and Central Florida – forward. Becky became one of the youngest female shareholders at the firm. Today, she is Chair of the Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group.

Her clients include property owners, developers, lenders and other participants in the development of high-rise, hotels, planned communities, large “power-centers,” mixed-use projects, office buildings and big box commercial projects, projects within historic districts, multi-family developments, senior living, and affordable housing. Becky works closely with the local government entities to address the needs of her clients related to zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, administrative law, Developments of Regional Impact (DRI’s), procurement issues, due diligence, and property rights.

Undoubtedly, Becky’s diligence, activism and Southern charm were responsible in part for her appointment as chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Central Florida District Council, a global multidisciplinary real estate organization with more than 40,000 members dedicated to the responsible use of land, and creating and sustaining thriving communities.

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McGregor

McGregor Love assists clients with entitling projects for commercial, residential, industrial, office, and mixed use.

McGregor works with local governments and other regulatory authorities to address the needs of clients related to environmental permitting and compliance, zoning, comprehensive plans, concurrency, site plan approval, variance and waiver requests, due diligence, and property rights. As a member of the firm’s Renewable Energy Group, McGregor assists clients with permitting and development in the growing renewable energy industry. 

With a background in land use and business litigation, McGregor previously worked for other law firms where he focused on the representation of Florida businesses and business investors.

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