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FL surpasses 350,000 mark for COVID-19 infections; deaths near 5,000
Florida has surpassed 350,000 COVID-19 infections, with the latest report from the Florida Department of Health showing 12,478 new positive and 87 Florida resident deaths. The new numbers posted Sunday by the state health department reflect results received on Saturday. Some 11.85 percent of the 115,100 new results tested positive. That makes it 350,047 Florida […]
Gov. DeSantis on COVID- 19: “Fear is our enemy here”
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday continued his message about fear during the pandemic, saying that news reports without appropriate context are creating angst and stress as Florida’s COVID-19 caseload continues to mount. Proper context might salve people’s fears about the potentially deadly disease, DeSantis said. “It is an enemy for us, for sure. But so, […]
11th Circuit OKs unmasking of plaintiffs who accuse Chiquita of funding Colombian terrorists
Colombians who accuse Chiquita Brands International Inc. of paying paramilitaries who killed their loved ones are not entitled to withhold their identities while litigating a massive class action in South Florida, a federal appeals court has ruled. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit said the plaintiffs hadn’t […]
By refusing to intercede, U.S. Supreme Court blocks felons from voting in next month’s primaries
The U.S. Supreme Court has effectively denied thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — of Floridians who’ve been convicted of felonies the right to vote in the state’s Aug. 18 primary elections. The justices did so by refusing to lift an intermediate appellate court’s stay of a court order that would have allowed many felons […]
GOP bows, modestly, to COVID concerns in planning Jacksonville party convention
With COVID-19 infections in Florida now surpassing 315,000, planners for the Republican National Convention will move some of the activities outdoors, into the heat of a North Florida late August. “We plan to utilize a number of indoor and outdoor venues in this multi-block radius of Jacksonville, Including the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, TIAA Bank […]
FL hits the 300,000 mark for COVID-19 infections; Dems want DeSantis to cut capacity for businesses to 25 percent
As Florida passed the 300,000 mark for COVID-19 infections, members of the Florida Senate’s Democratic Caucus demanded Wednesday that Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately restrict the capacity for businesses to 25 percent — a retreat from the existing 50 percent. The Democratic senators said that the restrictions would loosen only when COVID-19 positive test results consistently […]
With COVID-19 cases surging, the push to reopen brick-and-mortar schools is now getting pushback
City mayors are skeptical about school safety during the pandemic. Families are afraid of sending their kids into classrooms. One lawmaker told school board members that an Aug. 10 start date for students is “potentially catastrophic.” And the Florida PTA is pushing for options and choices for families that may not include brick-and-mortar schools. With […]
Gov. DeSantis to a frightened public: ‘I hear you’ on COVID-19
Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged Monday that Floridians are freaked out over the state’s expanding COVID-19 caseload. “I know many Floridians are filled with apprehension as they wonder, you know, what does this mean. What do these trends mean for our health, for our families, and for our jobs? How long is this going to go […]
Fl Dems claim edge in vote-by-mail effort; Republicans claim 10 million ‘voter contacts’
The Florida Democratic Party claimed a lead over Republicans in vote-by-mail enrollment Monday, saying that more than 1 million Dems have enrolled or renewed their enrollments since March 17, the date of the state’s presidential preference primary. The Republican Party of Florida, meanwhile, claimed to have made 10 million “voter contacts” in furtherance of President […]
U.S. labor secretary in FL to tout Trump economy, though thousands remain jobless and awaiting benefits
U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia touted the U.S. economy in Florida on Thursday, although thousands of people remain unemployed and awaiting benefits and some businesses have closed and may never reopen. The economy was “extraordinary” before COVID hit, Scalia said during a joint news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Jacksonville Port Authority. And […]
Fl Senate’s top Democrat demands answers from Gov. DeSantis on COVID-19 response
The top Democrat in the Florida Senate called upon Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday to cough up details about the extent of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state, including the availability of ICU beds and whether the state has plans to expand that capacity if needed. On a day when the overnight data from the Florida […]
Gov. DeSantis extends COVID emergency as caseload expands; sees youth defiance of contact tracing
Gov. Ron DeSantis extended Florida’s COVID-19 state of emergency for another 60 days Tuesday as state health officials announced that another 7,347 positive test results had come in overnight. The new data showed 63 new Florida resident deaths related to COVID-19. As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, officials had reported a total 213,794 Florida cases and […]