WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Owner of Crossfit Winter Garden Lee Lovette says his members are more like a family. But for the past two months this family has been "homeless." That’s about to change.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. DeSantis allowing gyms to reopen starting Monday

  • Crossfit Winter Garden order said he was close to being evicted

  • Gyms must be at 50% capacity; equipment must be cleaned after each use

“We can get back into our home, we can get back into our sanctuary, and do what we do best,and that’s the sport of fitness,” Lovette said.

Lovette says even with outdoor and home workouts, he’s lost a lot of business since having to close his gym’s doors.

With just one location, he says he depends on being open to pay the bills for his family.

“… although (crossfit) it is the biggest fitness industry in the world, we’re all small gyms and we’re all small families, and we’re small business,” Lovette said.

After allowing other businesses to open up two weeks ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis is now allowing gyms to reopen starting Monday.

“Don’t we want people to stay in shape? It’s going actually make them more resistant to severe consequences, so I think this is good. I think this is important,” DeSantis said.

This message couldn’t have come sooner for Lovette, who because of the drop in business, is facing eviction. Now he says his crossfit family can’t wait to get back.

“Then all I got were texts that said we’re open! We’re open! We’re open! We’ll be there Monday! And I was like guys, guys calm down!” Lovette said.

Some things to expect – you’ll have to sanitize equipment after you use it.

The gym can also only allow 50 percent capacity, which Lovette says he can easily control.

“We’re going to go back to strict standards, our workouts will be programmed. So there’s no overlap between the classes,” Lovette said.

So while the gym may not be as full as they’re used to, Lovette says at least he’ll have his “family” back “home.”

Besides those two requirements, DeSantis didn’t lay out any other guidelines for reopening gyms.

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