Florida Group Protests Gym Closures By Exercising In Front Of Courthouse

As WFLA reported, with the state's safer-at-home order lifted, residents will be allowed to do things like visit state parks, have a dental check-up, and get a haircut. Restaurants are allowed to re-open, provided they limit indoor capacity to 25%, with tables at least six feet apart, and retailers can open with 25% indoor capacity as well. Florida's famous beaches are open again, too.

However, one group is protesting the fact that the state has so far refused to open gyms as well.

About 30 people gathered there to protest the continued closure of gyms in the state, and as WFLA reported, they did not appear to be wearing masks or social distancing. They were, however, waving flags and hoisting signs, as well as chanting slogans including "Give me gains or give me death."

Then the protest took a bizarre turn when some of the protesters dropped to the pavement, doing squats and push-ups.

Which, as many people were quick to point out, undermined the message the group was trying to send.

"Just saw there are people working out in protest to open gyms back up in Florida. Sit down, you just proved you don’t need a gym at the moment," wrote one person on Twitter.

"Florida, this protest isn't the way to convince courts you need the gym reopened to workout," wrote another.

Travis LaBazzo told BuzzFeed News that he thought the exercises would help draw attention to their cause, but it clearly drew the wrong kind of attention.

"I'm glad it got out there, but it completely lost the message," he said. "People out there saying, 'You just proved you don't need the gym,' but it's not about that. It's about thousands of employees that are out of work in Florida."

He said that Governor DeSantis had considered including gyms as part of Phase One re-opening but decided against it in the end.

"Why are we not allowed to open up, but you're allowed to go to Walmart, or a Home Depot? We're very much a necessity for a lot of these people and yet we're being left out. I mean, we've had strip clubs that stayed open after gyms closed," he said, adding that Florida had deemed professional wrestling an "essential service."

He says he "doesn't want to be the guy that gets more people sick," and that he has set up his gyms to adhere to social distancing guidelines, with workout machines far apart and limited capacity for patrons.

LaBazzo also feels that wearing a mask should be a personal choice and not mandated by the government.

According to state guidelines, Phase Two will begin only "Once the Governor determines it is suitable to continue re-opening and after fully considering medical data in consultation with state health officials." Gyms are slated to be included with Phase Two re-openings.

h/t: WFLA, BuzzFeed News