TALLAHASSE, Fla. (WTXL) — Big news for gyms in Florida Friday as Governor DeSantis rolls out the rest of Phase One for reopening the state.
Starting next week, retailers and restaurants will be able to increase the amount of people allowed inside.
The green light from Governor DeSantis has gyms cleaning off their equipment and getting ready to open their doors again on Monday.
Travis Perkins owns Red Hills Crossfit, he says after a month of doing virtual workouts they are getting everything back as it was.
"We had members on social media and text messages coming from our members saying, 'Hey can I come in today, can I come in on Monday? What's the deal? What's going on?'" said Perkins.
To reopen, gyms must practice social distancing and comply with CDC sanitation guidelines.
"The big push is getting the equipment back Monday through Wednesday," Perkins said. "So during that time, we'll be doing a lot of outside workouts. You can always run. There's pavement everywhere."
But that's not all, starting Monday restaurants and retailers can move from 25 percent capacity inside to 50 percent.
A local restaurant owner says, although 50 percent may be good for other business-owners it could be a problem for them right now.
"I can seat 167 people in my resaturant, ok, but if I go 50 percent you're going to be sitting next to somebody," said Mike Ferrera, who owns Cabos Island Grill and Bar.
The dining area in Cabos Island Grill and Bar is on the smaller side, according to Ferrera.
"It's almost like we're going to go with the 25 percent because that about all we can handle," said Ferrera.
He says restaurants with bigger dining rooms will really benefit from the increase.
Now restaurants and gyms are looking forward to what next week will bring.
"Everybody wants to be in the gym," Perkins said. "Everybody wants the barbells in their hands. They want to do stuff like that."
Red Hills Crossfit knows some of their clients will still want to work out at home, so they will continue to offer virtual workouts for the time being.
As we enter the next steps for Florida's reopening process, some things haven't changed.
Bars and nightclubs are still closed.
