Photo of maskless Tampa mayor surfaces after she promises to 'identify' and 'handle' maskless Super Bowl fans

Following the Superbowl, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during a Monday press conference that maskless people will be "identified," and that Tampa Police would "handle it."

However, a picture posted to social media after the presser allegedly shows the mayor maskless, seemingly enjoying a sporting event, possibly a Tampa Bay Lightning game.

Videos and pictures circulated social media, showing maskless fans at sports bars and on the streets celebrating the hometown Super Bowl victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Everyone knows that simply wearing a mask dramatically reduces the spread of COVID-19," she said, surrounded by masked officials, "And I'm proud to say that the majority of individuals that I saw out and about enjoying the festivities associated with the Super Bowl were complying.

"Y'know we had tens of thousands of people all over the city. Downtown, out by the stadium, Ybor City, down here in Channel Side, and very very few incidents. So I'm proud of our community but those few bad actors will be identified and the Tampa Police Department will handle it."

Later during the conference, she said, "There just has to be that level of personal responsibility, you can supply everyone with a mask, advise them of the science behind it, and expect that they are going to abide by the mask orders. Again, you're gonna find a few that don't. The majority that I saw were wearing masks."

There is no state-wide mask mandate in place in Florida, as Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to implement widespread orders that would infringe on the rights of Floridians. He has been derided for his approach in the national press, but the coronavirus case counts in Florida are no worse than the most locked down in the US, such as California. DeSantis said that he personally did not see it appropriate to wear a mask at the Super Bowl, since it would make it way harder to "drink a beer with a mask on."

To comply with COVID protocols, the NFL required masks and capped attendees for the game at 25,000 in a stadium that normally holds 66,000 fans. Castor had signed a mostly voluntary order requiring people wear face coverings during Super Bowl festivities, even while outdoors. She added that the city could issue fines of up to $500 for non compliance.

The mayor noted that there had been no major spikes in coronavirus cases following the fall Stanley Cup win by the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrations surrounding the victory. "We didn’t see those spikes after the Stanley Cup events," she said.