The Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s new district commander in The Villages made his debut Friday in a meeting at Savannah Center and right out of the gate he was asked about Sheriff Billy Woods’ order forbidding masks.
The sheriff made national news this week with his order forbidding his deputies to wear face masks, which have been widely recommended due to the spread of the Coronavirus.
Lt. Danny Rosa was introduced at the Community Development District 4 Board of Supervisors meeting and the first question asked of him was about the sheriff’s order on masks.
Rosa, who wore a mask to the CDD 4 meeting but took it off when he spoke into the microphone from the podium, said “common sense” is being used when it comes to masks.
He said masks are being worn when social distancing is not an option.
As an example, he said deputies have to talk to drivers during a traffic stop and wearing a mask would make that difficult.
“How are we going to talk to you?” he asked.
Rosa, who has been with the sheriff’s office for 23 years, added that if residents come into the Marion County Sheriff’s Annex at Mulberry Grove for services such as fingerprinting, they will be asked to wear a mask. The staffer handling the fingerprinting will also wear a mask, he said.
Rosa, a native of Connecticut, takes over for Michelle Wissinger, who has been promoted to captain and has been assigned to duty at the Marion County Courthouse.