Alvarez said he made the decision a month ago after seeing too many of his tenants die due to the Covid-19.
“I think my decision was right and I will defend it in the way I can. If I am fined, I will go to court with her,” she told CNN.
The owner also requires that his employees be fully vaccinated. He told CNN he has two employees and two tenants who have left as a result of his vaccination policies.
Alvarez, who said he has voted Republican for a long time, said he was not a fan of DeSantis and urged the governor to follow science, not the polls.
DeSantis has made it clear that he does not support masks and vaccine mandates, and has cited personal choice as a higher priority.
“These mandates are excessive and will be very destructive to a lot of very good people,” DeSantis said Tuesday.
The governor announced this week that he will fine county and city governments for requiring employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, threatening a $ 5,000 fine for infraction.
Alvarez said he has between 80 and 100 tenants in Broward and Miami-Dade counties with upcoming lease renewals.
He said he is willing to be flexible with tenants who don’t want to provide vaccination evidence, but who also have nowhere to go. You will consider a monthly lease extension with higher rent.
“I don’t want to put them on the street, but I don’t want them to be a danger to my tenants or my employees,” Alvarez said.
DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw noted that the Florida Department of Health rule that enforces the ban on vaccine passports goes into effect Thursday.
“Under Florida law, people cannot be required to show vaccine passports as a condition of entry or service,” he said.
There is a $ 5,000 fine for each offense.
“Mr. Alvarez and all those who agree with him should be informed that vaccinated people can still transmit COVID to others, even though they are protected against serious diseases,” he added. “The idea of requiring vaccine passports is unscientific and you won’t get ‘lower cases.’ Without warrants, cases are falling fast in Florida on their own.”