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Miami Beach May Delay Panic Button Ordinance

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) — The enforcement of a new Miami Beach law which requires panic buttons in hotels to protect housekeepers against sexual harassment and assault may be pushed back.

The Miami Beach City Commission passed the ordinance last July and gave hotels until August 2019 provide the panic buttons.

Commissioner Michael Gongora introduced a proposal on Wednesday to delay implementation until August 1st, 2020. He says several hotels are concerned with meeting the 2019 deadline.

Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association president Wendy Kallergis says the additional time would help many smaller hotels, adding that panic buttons are not an inexpensive item.

Officials at the city's largest resort, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, said in a statement that they'll comply with the August 1st deadline.

Commissioners referred the proposal to a committee.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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