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Plantation Gym Owner Arrested Again Violating County Mandate On Masks

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A Plantation gym owner has been arrested for the third for failing to follow the county's reopening guidelines.

Mike Carnevale owns Fitness 1440, a 24-hour gym in west Broward. He was arrested Thursday after police said he did not make his customers wear masks during workouts, as is required by Broward County's executive order.

After his release, Carnevale went back to the gym Friday where he was arrested again for the same violation and taken back to jail.

Also arrested on Friday was Carnevale's wife, the gym was then closed for the day.

Gym member Amanda Gregg expressed disappointment over the closure

"This is the only bit of normalcy I have right now," she said

Carnevale is among several business owners who say masks are intrusive. He spoke with CBS4's Joan Murray before his Friday arrest.

"BSO is not where you want to be, it's not on the top list of places you want to visit in South Florida, but with that being said, if that's at a bullet that I have to take for the greater good of the South Florida fitness community, just for human beings. It's just about human beings. Everyone is going to try to make it about party lines, whether you are left or right, Democrat or Republican, let's just get back to making it about human beings," he said.

The fires time Carnevale was arrested was on July 27th when one of his customers was spotted without a mask.

Carnevale's lawyer is Anthony Sabatine, a state lawmaker who has filed 14 lawsuits statewide over mask mandates, including one against Broward County.

"They are harassing him to make an example out of him. We believe the mask matter is a violation of privacy," said Sabatini.

Broward's leaders say the mandate is important to slow the spread of coronavirus.

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