Naples City Council meeting to discuss a mask ordinance on Wednesday

Wednesday, Naples City Council will be deciding again If you should be forced to cover your face in public as they go back and forth on a face mask ordinance.

We’ve watched over the last few weeks how masks have really become such an emotional and sometimes even divisive issue.

That makes it no surprise that folks in Naples are anxious to find out if they’ll be forced to wear them.

It started with Collier County Commissioners, who after voting down a mask mandate earlier this month, finally passed one on July 21.

And that only applied to unincorporated Collier County, but it gave local towns and cities like Naples the option to “opt” into that mandate.

That’s where Collier County is right now. The mayor of Naples called this special meeting for 8:30 a.m. forcing the council to take this mandate to a vote.

Lots of towns and cities have struggled with whether to mandate or simply recommend wearing masks.

In Charlotte County, commissioners passed a recommendation on Tuesday asking restaurants to encourage customers to wear a mask inside.

As Naples city council looks to make a decision of their own, the mask mandate is the only issue they will look at on Wednesday.

The meeting agenda is short but that doesn’t mean the meeting will follow suit. If Collier County’s mask mandate meeting is any indication, 200 county residents spoke during a very emotional public comment. At City Hall Wednesday, folks are limited to 3 minutes each.