ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has one big problem with the “Safer at Home” order Pinellas County commissioners passed:

Kriseman said it's way too lenient.

He added that residents can still basically go wherever they want, which defeats the purpose in his opinion.

At an emergency meeting Wednesday, Pinellas County commissioners voted unanimously to enact a “safer at home rule” which asks residents to stay home and only leave for essential business. 

It also allows all businesses to stay open, but requires them to follow Centers For Disease Control guidelines on social distancing, if not, they need to close. 

Shortly after that vote, Kriseman announced  while he supports the county's directive, it doesn't go far enough.

Kriseman also said he wants to see Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue a stricter, statewide order.

 In the meantime, Kriseman said he'll be keeping a close eye on businesses in St. Pete over the weekend and if he feels they're too crowded, he said he will reserve the right to shut down all non-essential businesses next week.

“The only way to truly save lives and to flatten the curve is to suffer the short term pain associated with a shut down of all non-essential businesses and to stay home,” he said.

Pinellas County's "safer at home" directive takes effect at 11:27 a.m. and is currently set to last seven days.