So-called "Florida man" has reared his ugly head once again, and this time it's about the simplest of things. The latest incident was over being asked to wear a mask in public during the ongoing pandemic.
A man became so belligerent after being asked to wear a mask in a Florida Walmart that he physically shoved his way into the store before being thrown out. Video of the incident has gone viral.
The incident happened at a Walmart near Orlando. In video of the altercation, the man enters the Walmart store but is immediately intercepted by an employee insisting he wear a mask.
The man is undeterred though.
He simply shoves the employee out of the way—so hard, in fact, that he loses his footing and face-plants.
Meanwhile in Florida clear folks feeling entitled lol 😷 #COVID19 #coronavirus #maskon #maskoff #mask pic.twitter.com/AqbBqGABff
— Cali_CoCo (@CaliCoCo3) June 20, 2020
But not even the face-plant stops him.
He gets up and scurries into the store, immediately followed and flanked by employees demanding he wear a mask or leave the store. One employee even offers the man a mask, but the man simply continues storming through the store and becomes physical again with the employee he tussled with in the entrance.
During this second altercation, the person filming the encounter can be heard saying:
"The man is doing his job, bruh, just get a mask!"
In the second part of the video, the employee has received back-up from another associate, who convinces the man to leave.
pic.twitter.com/62VK4Pwj5u
— Cali_CoCo (@CaliCoCo3) June 20, 2020
But the man does not leave calmly or politely.
People can be heard chastising him for getting his "germs all over everybody else in here" and pointing out that everyone else in the store is masked.
In response, the man explodes:
"I ain't done sh*t to you!"
An employee shoots back:
"You're spitting all over the fuc*in' place. Leave!"
On Twitter, most people were firmly on the side of the employees.
No, they can choose to wear a mask and enter the store or choose not to wear a mask and enter another store that doesn't care.
— James Lowe (@brolowe99) June 21, 2020
It only old white people
— Robi 🇩🇴 (FREE O) (@YouAreRobie) June 20, 2020
And without losing his temper and knocking the guy out.
— OUFENIX (D) (@oufenix) June 21, 2020
This Walmart greeter just handled the situation more calmly and professionally than the police would've lmao
— Michael Schettig (@MichaelSchettig) June 21, 2020
Roosevelt: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"
US:"yes sir!"
Eisenhower: “Storm the beaches"
US: “OK"
Kennedy: “go to the moon"
US: “can do"
2020 COVID: “Wear a mask"
32% of Americans: “MY RIGHTS!! IT'S HARD!! I NEED MY OREOS!!"
— Jim Rose (@jimrunsfar) June 21, 2020
And I'm deceased! pic.twitter.com/b6sPJUhRal
— Christina 81 (@joeperrysbabe) June 21, 2020
Sad part is Walmart will end up firing the poor dude doing his job
— Jim Fish (@fish_jd) June 20, 2020
Man that poor Walmart greeter does not get paid enough for that
— amber 🥝 (@amberis26) June 21, 2020
Give cops walmart de-escalation training. This guy has better de-escalation skills than I've seen in any policeman
— Davicho (@Davicho266) June 22, 2020
No shoes, no shirt, no mask, no service.
— Moe (@iMoe83) June 21, 2020
Why is it these same people believe "if a company doesn't want to serve a gay person they dont have to" but fight when their told to take other peoples health into consideration
— Black Lives Matter (@MohaJokes) June 21, 2020
While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stopped short of issuing a statewide mandate at any time during the pandemic, most major cities in Florida have recently made face coverings compulsory due to skyrocketing virus case numbers. Orange County, where the Walmart incident took place, is among the urban areas to issue such a rule.