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Politifact gives the Governor a "Mostly True" on COVID's impact on our kids
Positive COVID test results continue to fall, now at 6.78% with 77,000 tests
Tropical systems active in the Gulf and the Atlantic - South Florida and the Panhandle on alert
The First Lady addresses mental health in the era of COVID-19
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Tampa Bay Times
Even as his state is a hotbed for COVID-19, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been pushing schools to reopen so parents have the choice of sending children back to the classroom or keeping them home to learn virtually.
The Republican governor has said children without any underlying health conditions would benefit from in-person learning and the stimulation and companionship of being among other young people. He has also made clear that he thinks these benefits far outweigh what he considers to be minimal risks.
"The fact is, in terms of the risk to school kids, this is lower risk than seasonal influenza," DeSantis said, during an Aug. 10 televised roundtable discussion on education.
DeSantis’ assertion got us wondering, so we asked the governor’s office what evidence it had to back up the claim.
Looking at the numbers
A spokesperson responded with data from the Florida Department of Health showing the state’s COVID-19 mortality rate is 0.02 percent for people 24 and younger. That’s the same as the influenza mortality rate for this age group.
But for children 14 and younger, the spokesperson said, Florida’s COVID-19 mortality rate is 0.009 percent, far below the 0.01 percent for flu for that age group.
And the risk of death is not the only concern children face if infected by the COVID-19 virus. They can develop complications that require hospitalization.
"The risk of complications for healthy children is higher for flu compared to COVID-19," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "However, infants and children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for both flu and COVID-19."
The CDC estimates there were 480 deaths among U.S. children due to flu in the 2018-19 season, including 136 cases where the virus was confirmed by laboratory testing.
The Hill
More than our physical health is being affected by this novel coronavirus. With the nation moving towards virtual living to continue social distancing, we are risking under-educating a generation. Children need the option to have an in-person education. There are lessons and experiences a student receives in the classroom that cannot be replicated via technology.
Distance learning is good, homeschooling is good, but not every student will succeed in those environments. Families need to have the option to send their child safely to school since a child only gets to experience the first grade once. My children are no longer school age, but my youngest is still in the classroom teaching middle schoolers.
It is critical to evaluate the risks of having a child return to in-person learning alongside the benefits. Besides the home, school ranks second in influencing a student’s well-being and health. Schools offer so much more than academic instruction. Many students rely on daily meals, a safe environment, one-on-one counseling services, development of social and emotional skills, and physical activity. These are things that cannot be dialed in.
Parents are rightfully concerned for the safety of their children and their risk for contracting this coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), school-aged children have a slight chance of contracting COVID-19. While researchers are still learning more about this new virus, the CDC reported in July that less than 7 percent of positive cases were for someone age 18 or under. The same study indicates that a child is more likely to be at risk of catching the flu.
After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and underlying conditions, black COVID-19 patients were no more likely than white patients to die of any cause in hospitals, a retrospective study published today in JAMA Network Open has found.
Researchers at Ascension Health in St. Louis analyzed data from 11,210 adults with COVID-19 in 92 hospitals in 12 states from Feb 19 to May 31.
The death rate from any cause was 23.1% in white patients and 19.2% in black patients. After adjusting for age, sex, insurance, underlying conditions, neighborhood deprivation, and site of care, the risk of death was not significantly different between blacks and whites (hazard ratio [HR], 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.09).
Underlying illnesses, sociodemographics
Compared with whites, blacks had higher rates of asthma (8.8% vs 4.7%), cancer (3.6% vs 3.2%), chronic kidney disease (20.5% vs 12.9%), congestive heart failure (12.5% vs 10.8%), diabetes (32.0% vs 23%), high blood pressure (30.3% vs 25.0%), obesity (32.2% vs 18.2%), and organ transplantation (0.5% vs 0.3%).
Compared with hospitalized whites, black patients were more likely to have been admitted to the hospital with a fever of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher (32.1% vs 22.1%) and a respiratory rate of at least 24 breaths per minute (34.1% vs 29.6%), while they were less likely to have an oxygen saturation less than 94% (34.9% vs 40.9%).
Black and white patients required hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation at similar rates (31.2% vs 34.0%).
All-cause death rates were 20.3% overall, 34.7% among ICU patients, and 38.1% among those receiving mechanical ventilation. The death rate among white patients was 23.1%, while it was 19.2% among black patients.
The Promise of Telehealth Beyond the Emergency
Progressitve Policy Institute and Americans For Prosperity
In the past few months, millions of Americans have experienced a first, tantalizing glimpse of the promise of telehealth.
The use of telehealth – the remote delivery of care and monitoring of patients’ health using digital telecommunications tools – has surged during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as policymakers and insurers across the country have eased restrictions on these tools in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, for which humans have no immunity. Digital encounters can help people avoid unnecessary in-person contacts and receive care at home instead of a potentially overwhelmed hospital or clinic.
As a result of numerous policy changes at the state and federal levels, the use of telehealth has grown faster in the past five months than in the preceding 25 years.
During this time:
• Nationally, nearly one in two consumers have used telehealth to replace a cancelled in-person appointment.
• More than 11.3 million Medicare enrollees have accessed care from the comfort and safety of their own homes, up from nearly zero the year before.
• American veterans have availed themselves of 1.1 million telehealth visits through the Veterans Administration.4
Most of the current telehealth expansions are temporary and will expire with the end of the current public health emergency declaration.5 A key question arises: Should the reforms be made permanent?
Although our two organizations differ on many health policy issues, on this question we agree. The current, temporary telehealth reforms are good for patients and should be made permanent.
In this paper, we will explain why we think telehealth is valuable and give a high-level overview of the recent policy changes. We’ll also explain why the adoption of telehealth has been slow until now and identify reforms we believe should be made permanent. Finally, we’ll recommend additional policy changes that could help further promote the promise of telehealth. Our hope is that our writing this paper together will persuade state and federal policymakers to make that promise a reality for patients.
With the resurgence of COVID-19 in many states across the country, millions of people out of work, and a pivotal political election quickly approaching, Americans are faced with unprecedented uncertainty about the road ahead. One thing Americans should never have to question, however, is the peace of mind of being able to access their long-term savings.
Whether they are saving for their children’s college education, retirement or other life milestones, investors deserve to know that their capital is protected and is available at a moment’s notice. To ensure the security of these savings, it is essential that America’s capital markets continue to operate efficiently and effectively, and that automated traders can continue to provide dependable liquidity – the ability for investors to buy and sell stock – in times of market volatility.
Over half of American households are invested in the stock market, either directly or indirectly through contributing to mutual funds, 529 College Savings plans, pension plans, 401(k)s or IRAs. For these Main Street investors, dependable liquidity and properly functioning markets are vital to accessing their capital.
As the potential for a shift in political power inches closer, it will be of paramount importance for Congress to continue safeguarding the U.S. capital markets from damaging policies, such as a financial transaction tax, that would eat away at the savings of millions of Americans.
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COViD-19 by the numbers | COVID -19 Fatalities
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ICUs and hospital beds by the numbers | Current as of 8/14/2020
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19.11%
% of ICU Beds Available Statewide
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39.97% % of Pediatric ICU Beds Available Statewide
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23.67% % of Available Hospital Beds Statewide
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The Governor and First Lady Address the Pandemic and Mental Health
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Download any of these social media graphics below for your personal, business, or agency use.
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Educational Officials Offer Guidance on Handling Coronavirus WJXT/News Service of Florida August 20, 2020 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida education officials have outlined how local school officials should respond when students or employees test positive for the coronavirus, providing more details on what has been a top concern amid school reopenings. At the heart of the guidelines is a “coronavirus symptomatic decision tree” that lays out who should be sent home, for how long, and for what symptoms, according to a 12-page report released by the Florida Department of Education on Tuesday. While Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has acknowledged coronavirus cases are likely to occur when schools resume in-person instruction, the report spotlights the steps school officials should take when students and teachers get infected at school. “Simply being in the same classroom, building, or at the same event as a positive or symptomatic person does not mean someone must be contact-traced and self-isolated,” state officials wrote in the report, which was shared with Florida school superintendents on Tuesday. Local school officials are being asked to contact a COVID-19 team within the state education agency to discuss the “coronavirus symptomatic decision tree” before shutting down classrooms or schools. The “decision tree” advises that people who test positive for the virus and who are symptomatic should not be allowed to return to school unless they meet three criteria. The criteria require 10 days to have passed since symptoms began, or 20 days if the illness is severe; at least 24 hours since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; and other symptoms have improved. As Florida continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, 24 counties have reopened schools in accordance with Corcoran’s July 6 order mandating that all schools offer in-person instruction five days a week by the end of the month. At least three districts — Martin, Bradford and Seminole — have reported positive coronavirus cases among students and teachers since schools began reopening last week. Earlier this month, the Florida Association of School Superintendents asked Corcoran to provide “clear and articulate processes” for how the state would help local leaders determine who needs to be quarantined and how to handle contact-tracing, the process used to track infections. Corcoran responded to the letter in a conference call with superintendents last week, urging them to be “very surgical, not sweeping” when responding to coronavirus cases. He offered more details on the guidelines Tuesday. The goal, according to the report, is to create the least amount of disruption to students’ learning when trying to determine who has been exposed to the coronavirus or when contact-tracing. The plan advises local officials to rely on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions when determining who was exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, or had symptoms. “Minimize disruption by isolating only those individuals,” the plan says. Students and employees who are not experiencing symptoms but were exposed to someone who is symptomatic and is awaiting test results should be allowed to “continue learning to the greatest extent possible.” Under the state guidelines, exposure is defined as “close contact of 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more,” in accordance with CDC guidelines. To prevent the virus from spreading on campus, it is important to tell staff and parents that “adullts are the biggest threat to the health of our school community,” education officials wrote in Tuesday’s report. “Everyone should ask themselves — ‘What are my habits outside of work and what am I bringing to work or school every day?’ " the report says.
TCC offering new CARES Act tuition scholarships WTXL Brian Jackson TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s unemployment rate is just over 10%. Tallahassee Community College has a new program to help people get back to work.
These scholarships were made possible by money from the CARES Act. They will cover between 50-100% of tuition.
The programs that can utilize the scholarship opportunities are Medical Administrative Specialist, Industrial Machinery Maintenance (IMM), Welding, Cybersecurity, Commercial Vehicle Driving (CVD) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC).
All seven programs chosen are currently in high demand. Projections show those fields will grow by an average of 10% over the next 8-years.
“We’re looking at individuals who were working, they were on a path and then for whatever reason they weren’t even thinking about what do I want to do next,” said Kimberly Moore – VP Workplace Innovation TCC. “This gives them an opportunity to do it hand in hand with a community partner, the college and what their future good be. And looking at moving them from what would’ve been a vulnerable industry into a less vulnerable industry that has a career path.”
Another reason why those programs were chosen is because of the salaries they command.
“If you look at the wages they’re going from $20 to right near the top at $50 an hour,” said Moore. “We wanted to make sure that we focused on those areas that, whether the individual decided to stay local or move throughout Florida or even the nation. That they could gain a certification that would allow them to be self-sufficient and earn a good wage at the same time.”
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Department of Children and Families
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Pay Increase for Child Protective Investigators
Being a Child Protective Investigator is probably one of the most challenging jobs one could have – but despite the long hours and hard work that DCF’s CPIs put in for Florida's children and families, they still remain dedicated to them. CPI’s are more than just an essential worker; they are changing and saving lives every day. During the 2020 Legislative Session, a pay increase was recommended for eligible CPIs. As a strong advocate for child welfare, Governor Ron DeSantis approved a base rate of pay adjustment, effective July 1, for all eligible Career Service and Select Exempt employees in Child Protection classes. This should make it clear – if it wasn't already before – that Governor DeSantis and the state's legislative leaders recognize and appreciate CPI’s commitment to keeping children safe and families strong. We know that Child Protective Investigators are not in this line of work for the money; they are on the frontlines because they have a heart for children and want to see that families have opportunities to succeed. Regardless, they are extremely deserving of this pay increase. Thank you, CPIs for all that you do!
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Department of Emergency Management
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Florida Coronavirus Test Positivity Rate Continues To Decline WUSF Public Media
Another 4,555 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Florida. At the same time, the positivity rate for new infections hit the lowest level in two months.
According to Thursday’s report from the Florida Department of Health, the latest increase in the 24-hour period since the prior day’s report brings the statewide total of positive tests to 588,602.
In the greater Tampa Bay region, there were 671 new positive tests.
Of 77,172 tests returned to the state Wednesday, 6.78% of those tested for the first time were positive. It's the eighth straight day the positivity rate has been under ten percent. It's also at the lowest level since June 14, when the rate was 5.3%.
Central Florida virus rates lowest in 2 months, as schools reopen, soccer crowds expected Orlando Sentinel
Amid declining COVID-19 infection rates, Orange County will be holding its breath that trend will continue with more gatherings expected, starting with schools reopening Friday.
In-person classes begin Friday at public schools, while more college students are returning to campus at the University of Central Florida where classes begin Monday, and Orlando City will be allowed to fill its stadium to 20% capacity at home games starting Wednesday.
This comes amid eight straight weeks of declining infection rates in Orange, culminating with its lowest single-day positivity rate since mid July in data released Thursday. Just 5.2% of test results Wednesday were positive, a state report shows, down from 5.85% the day prior.
In the latest return to normalcy, Orlando City will host its first home game in the league's return Wednesday, with the franchise announcing this week it would allow Exploria Stadium to be filled up to 20% of its capacity.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was impressed with the soccer franchise's plan, which was developed with counsel from Orlando Health and Major League Soccer. It includes increased cleaning and more hand sanitizer, masks to worn at all times except when eating and drinking and people to be socially distanced from everybody outside of their party.
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Ribbon cutting for new state-of-the-art Florida National Guard space facility The 114th Space Control Squadron will occupy the new building on Cape Canaveral AFS
WHAT - A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new $7.1 million facility for the Florida National Guard's 114th Space Control Squadron
WHEN - Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 a.m.
WHERE - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
The 114th Space Control Squadron - originally known as the 114th Space Communications Squadron - received its Federal recognition on May 15, 1989. Originally developed to provide manning for pre-positioned NATO satellite communications terminals, the unit started with only 35 members. Fast forward 31 years, and the 114th is more relevant than ever before. The unit has grown to nearly 100 Airmen, and began executing a space mission in 2000. Since then, it has been charged with the mission of "delivering offensive and defensive counter-space and space situational awareness to rapidly achieve flexible and versatile effects in support of global and theater campaigns." Armed with the first offensive weapon in the Space Force, and deployable within 72 hours to engage in combat operations, this unit is on the leading edge of space warfare.
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Agency for Persons with Disabilities
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Palm Beach County woman offers nature-based program for special needs adults WPTV
For more than 20 years, Jackie Kingston has made it her mission to conserve our local sea turtle population and educate the public. She recently combined that passion with her love for working special needs adults.
“I started this branch because it’s just always been on my heart to help people with special needs and I just didn’t know what exactly that was going to look like until about 3 or 4 years ago when I decided to merge what I was doing in the world of sea turtle conservation with this passion that I had for helping adults with special needs,” said Jackie Kingston, Executive Director and Founder of Sea Turtle Adventures.
Kingston named the newest branch of her non-profit, “iCare”. It gives adults with disabilities in Palm Beach County the chance to explore things they never otherwise would get the chance to.
“Everything we do is somewhat innovative and out of the box for this population. So, I’ll take them on a boat fishing or kayaking, paddle boarding or we’ll go on the beach and dig up a sea turtle nest while we’re riding on the ATVs,” said Kingston.
This summer, Kingston hosted a 5 week-long biology boot camp program for adults in the program.
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Florida Department of Law Enforcement
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Deputies: DNA ties Collier County man to sexual assault, robbery in Walmart parking lot WINK News
DNA evidence led to the arrest of a 56-year-old Collier County man who deputies say sexually assaulted and robbed a woman inside her vehicle in an East Naples store parking lot in March.
John Taylor Morris III is being held in the Collier County Jail on charges of sexual assault, robbery, and burglary of an occupied conveyance.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office reports say the victim was inside her locked vehicle in the parking lot at Walmart, 9885 Collier Blvd., around 5 a.m. March 18 when a man she didn’t know approached and attempted to open the front driver and passenger doors. The victim, who is homeless and lives in her vehicle, told detectives the man began to yell for help, so she opened the door. He forced his way inside and attacked her, stealing her wallet in the process. The victim was able to kick the suspect and escape.
Security camera footage shows Morris inside and outside the store around the time of the incident.
The victim told detectives her attacker cut his hand on a broken car door handle. Blood evidence was recovered from the victim’s clothing and sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) lab for DNA analysis in the national database. Results showed that the DNA collected at the scene matched with Morris.
On June 30, detectives obtained a warrant to conduct a biological search on Morris. The warrant was served and buccal swabs were collected from him and sent to the FDLE lab for processing. On Aug. 5, the FDLE lab report confirmed the blood found on victim’s clothing belonged to Morris. The report stated: “The DNA profile from the waist of the victim’s sweatpants matches the DNA profile from the suspect. The observed DNA profile is greater than 700 billion times more likely to occur if the sample originated from the suspect than from an unrelated individual.”
Deputies located Morris when they were called to a report of a suspicious incident at an East Naples hotel early Wednesday. They said Morris appeared to be masturbating with his hands inside his shorts in front of a minor in the hotel’s pool area. Deputies said he was highly intoxicated at the time. He was taken to the Collier County Jail and booked on multiple felony charges in connection with the March sexual assault in the Walmart parking lot.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The votes were swiftly counted, winners were declared and by about 10 that night most of the results of Tuesday’s primary election — one with large numbers of mailed votes — were known in Florida. Yes, Florida. The poster child for election meltdowns, where the recount of the 2000 presidential race dragged on for 33 days until it was resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Where, in 2018, the outcomes of the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races were up in the air well after election day. Despite its reputation for confusing ballot design and controversial election administration, Florida was, in some respects, a model for how to conduct an election and count the vote in a pandemic era.That model is getting more attention as many states are considering adjusting their voting rules to prepare for a surge in mail-in votes and to avoid a slow vote count. One key to Florida’s performance Tuesday was state law allowing election officials to begin processing mail ballots weeks before election day. That means signature verification can be done in advance, speeding up the count and leading to faster results…..
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Department of The Lottery
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Broward County Man Carlos Colon Claims $2 Million Top Prize States Top Leading News
The Florida Lottery announces that Carlos Colon, 68, of Margate, claimed the first $2 million top prize from the MONOPOLY™ BONUS SPECTACULAR Scratch-Off game using a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,615,000.00.
Colon purchased his winning ticket from Margate Mini Mart, located at 7600 Margate Boulevard in Margate. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $10 MONOPOLY BONUS SPECTACULAR game launched in July and features more than $162 million in cash prizes, including four top prizes of $2 million! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.44.
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Florida Department of Veterans Affairs
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Mobile App Available for Veterans
Did you know? The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs has a free Mobile App. Available for download for Apple and Android phones, the App helps connect veterans and their families with earned federal and state benefits, services and support. It also includes a new COVID-19 button for daily updates on impacts affecting the veteran community.
Visit https://floridavets.org/download-the-fdva-app/ for download instructions.
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Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
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Indoor attractions take extra cleaning measures during COVID-19 WJHG The weather in Florida can change from blazing hot to rain in minutes, which is why some indoor attractions see more visitors during the summer months.
With thousands of people visiting Panama City Beach amid the coronavirus pandemic, local places are doing more to keep visitors and employees safe.
At Escape Zone 60, all of their employees wear masks, and visitors are asked to make reservations.
“Prior to COVID, we would book, if a room held eight people, there was a possibility that multiple groups could make up those eight people, since COVID, we have turned all of that to private, so if two people go online and book a particular room, then it’s just those two people,” said Lynn Dominique, owner of Escape Zone 60.
Over in Pier Park, Emerald Coast Mirror Maze is taking more time to clean in between visitors.
“I don’t want to catch this virus, nor do I want to give it to someone else, or have any of our customers who come in here to be exposed, so that’s the reason we do so much of the sanitation, and we want people to come and visit because this is a fun place to be,” said David Peck, who works at Emerald Coast Mirror Maze.
Both businesses said they want to do everything they can to make sure everyone has a good time while staying safe.
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Florida Department of Corrections
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Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman presented the Florida Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Highlands County Office with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of their help with Operation Disconnect. FDC is proud to partner with local law enforcement agencies to conduct targeted initiatives. Prioritizing public safety and building strong partnerships are only a part of what we do to keep Florida communities safe.
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Florida Housing Finance Corpration
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Department of Business and Professional Regulation
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Broward to allow restaurants to stay open later South Florida Sun Sentinel Governor Ron DeSantis is considering moving South Florida into Phase 2 of the state's COVID-19 plan after recent positive trends in coronavirus data. Broward County will allow restaurants to stay open an hour later each night, relaxing restrictions put into effect during the new coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Broward’s mayors late Thursday afternoon, Monica Cepero, the deputy county administrator, said the county will authorize a new emergency order either late Thursday or sometime Friday. It will be effective Friday. Currently, the rules in Broward for restaurants required they shut down for on-site dining from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Restaurants can continue to operate for takeout, drive-thru and delivery services. The new order would allow an additional hour — until 11 p.m. — for on-premises dining. The move comes as the spread of COVID-19 is easing in Florida, with the statewide rate for new infections dipping to its lowest point within the past two months, according to the latest state figures. Those figures are a key reason Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said he’s considering moving the region to a Phase 2 reopening, following the April shutdown.
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Westside Gazette, Broward County
Like so many other areas throughout the nation, South Florida continues to see and feel the effects from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. CareerSource Broward is committed to supporting workers who have been furloughed or laid off during these challenging times. Although some businesses have had to furlough workers, lay off employees or even shut down completely, there are still companies in Broward County looking to fill vacant positions. Our agency’s ultimate goal for job seekers is to help them secure employment, which is the best way to become financially self-sufficient. Here’s what we offer:
Job Search and Placement Assistance– Our trained placement staff will help you with your job search, as well as provide referrals to job vacancies posted in our online database, Employ Florida.
Online Professional Workshops – We offer virtual workshops that cover a variety of topics, including résumé writing, virtual interviewing tips, social media and more.
Scholarships for Career Training – Our agency provides scholarships of up to $12,000 for in-demand career training, which can help cover the cost of tuition, books, supplies and more.
All of our agency’s resources and services are offered at NO COST to you. Connect with us today by visiting www.CareerSourceBroward.com or call 954-677-5555.
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Department of Juvenile Justice
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Florida Department of Elder Affairs
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Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new online COVID-19 self-assessment survey on Wednesday to help Florida residents and the elderly.
Coined the Florida Safe Survey, the online tool asks survey takers to answer a series of questions to determine various risks associated with the virus. It then provides survey takers with a “My CV19 CheckUp Report,” which among other areas, scores the respondent’s risk of contracting the virus and spreading it.
The report also offers recommendations and resources to survey takers based on their location, lifestyle and habits.
“Protecting Florida’s most vulnerable has been my administration’s main focus during this COVID-19 pandemic,” DeSantis said in a statement. “With the Florida Safe Survey, we hope to further mitigate the spread of this disease and bring another layer of protection to those most at risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19.”
According to the Florida Safe Survey website, SAFE is an acronym for “start the survey, assess your risk, form a plan and examine your options.” The website says the test is confidential, free and can be completed in roughly 10 minutes.
The survey, which is geared for the elderly, was created by BellAge. In a news release, the company is credited with building the survey, its artificial intelligence, and machine learning that produces its outcomes.
“CV19 CheckUp was developed to help people be safer and healthier as they deal with COVID-19,” said BellAge Chief Information Officer James Firman. “DOEA collaborated to ensure we addressed the unique needs of Florida’s older population. I’m very pleased that Florida is helping us introduce CV19 CheckUp’s potentially lifesaving service to the country.”
Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs will be responsible for raising awareness of the survey, particularly to the elderly community. The news release said the department’s 11 area agencies will utilize their network of volunteers.
“Gov. DeSantis knows Floridians are resilient, and he has worked tirelessly to bring Floridians together in the fight against COVID-19,” said DOEA Secretary Richard Prudom. “This survey furthers our effort by allowing all residents to get actionable and responsive feedback from their survey results and unite in their actions against COVID-19.”
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Department of Management Services
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Department of Enviromental Protection
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Permitting of Everglades Projects Continues at Expedited Speed Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Ensuring Restoration Progress
As our teams work to successfully adapt to a changed COVID-19 work environment, DEP continues its commitment to advancing restoration of the Everglades and the South Florida ecosystem. As a testament to these efforts, two important permits were recently issued for projects that will offer flood control and water treatment protecting the Loxahatchee National Refuge.
DEP’s Office of Water Policy and Ecosystems Restoration issued the final permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for Picayune Strand Restoration Project for construction of the Southwest Protection Feature Levee and partial plugging of the Faka Union Canal. This is intended to provide flood risk management to the area surrounding the canal. The levee will be approximately 7.1 miles with an average width of 140 feet, covering approximately 137 acres. Construction for the Partial Plugging of the Faka Union Canal is anticipated to begin October 2020 and be complete by April 2021. Construction of the Southwest Protection Feature Levee is anticipated to begin October 2020 and be complete by April 2023.
The final permit was also issued to the South Florida Water Management District for the Restoration Strategies STA-1W Expansion #2 project. This project will increase the stormwater treatment area to approximately 6,000 acres, increasing phosphorus treatment capacity and assist in achieving the water quality limits for flows to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The project will also restore the hydrology and ecology of approximately 65,000 acres benefiting vegetation and wildlife in the project area and surrounding public lands. These lands are vital to Florida’s ecosystems, including the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Collier-Seminole State Park, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Preserve and the South Belle Meade State CARL project.
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Department of Transportation
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Central Florida’s defense industry and aerospace talent pool are factors in its push to land the U.S. Space Command, but the area’s biggest draw may be something not at all tech related: real estate. That’s because the future home of the U.S. Space Force will need land to be built on and homes to house the 1,400 civilian and government personnel working in the command center. This may give an advantage to the three local counties bidding to host the facility.
A housing boost Two of the competing local counties, Orange and Seminole counties, don’t have as close ties to the aerospace industry as the other local bidder, Brevard County. That’s according to Brad Parker, a land expert with Longwood-based Southern Realty. But Orange and Seminole counties both offer high-quality housing attractive to the engineers, military officers and others who will work at the Space Command, Parker said. And more homes are on the way to the area. In fact, Orange County had 10,591 building permits filed in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s far more than the 5,388 filed in El Paso County, Colorado, current home of the Space Command. It’s also more than nine times the number of permits filed in fellow contender Santa Barbara County, California, home of Vandenberg Air Force Base and the nearby city of Santa Barbara. Plus, Seminole County boasts an existing inventory of high-level homes and has landed the operations of major corporations like Deloitte and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Parker added. “They couldn’t get a better place than the Lake Mary/Heathrow market.” Of course, other factors such as the talent pool and government incentives will factor into the decision, Parker said. The U.S. Air Force plans to pick a home for the hub of the next U.S. military branch in early 2021. Room for growth Although Brevard County is home to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Kennedy Space Center and a host of private space firms, the county needs to offer more to land the Space Force hub, according to Lynda Weatherman, CEO of the Economic Development Commission of the Space Coast. “People need to understand this is highly competitive." One reason to consider Brevard County is the region's abundance of land, which will allow the Space Force Command to grow and develop its own identity, Weatherman told OBJ. That's better than one of the leading alternatives: putting the command center at the U.S. Department of Defense's existing U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, she said. The command center is important because it would be a “catalyst” for new aerospace, defense, telecommunications and information technology business supporting the facility, John Boyd previously told OBJ. Boyd is a principal at site selection firm The Boyd Co. Inc., which is not involved with the Space Force process. It’s also likely to generate demand for branch manufacturing plants, regional sales offices and more homes, Boyd added. And that’s important because advanced manufacturing and high-tech jobs mean high wages. For example, engineering, developer and computer systems positions in Orlando pay average annual salaries ranging between $84,839 and $131,460, according to Los Angeles-based CBRE Group Inc. (NYSE: CBRE). That’s much higher than the Orlando area’s average annual wage of $46,140, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brevard County may be in a better place to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak than other parts of the region. The state's 15th-largest county, which totals more than 1,015 square miles, has a population of 601,942 — the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data showed — and is bordered by Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, Indian River counties. It can draw from those regions' workforces since Brevard County is where most of the activity is centered on Florida's Space Coast.
The Space Coast has continued to build its base of industrial activity since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011, Lynda Weatherman, CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, told Orlando Business Journal. Much of Brevard County's economy historically has depended on space travel and tourism, thanks to its beaches and cruise port. But it has diversified in recent years to make up for NASA ending the Space Shuttle program nearly a decade ago.
Even with tourism businesses taking a huge hit during the coronavirus pandemic, the county rebounded to an unemployment rate of 8.5% for June, compared with 16.5% for Orlando.
That leaves the region with plenty to work on through the Covid-19 crisis, Weatherman said. Thankfully, the manufacturing industry may be its saving grace, so the commission has invested into training programs, she said.
"We need to mitigate that job loss. Those people who have been laid off in their traditional industries could go into manufacturing because we have the demand. A lot of these training programs, such as the one we do, can be done online. If the market isn’t there, we can’t magically shift it overnight. We can get people who are unemployed into growing markets."
Thankfully, business still is chugging away in Brevard County. Along with commercial space flight and manufacturing, the county also boasts plenty of recreation with beaches and parks, as well as the anticipated return of tourism via shuttle launches, NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the cruising industry.
Some of the activity has included:
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) moved its Fleet Ballistic Missile Headquarters to the area in 2019.
The Viera Co. continues to build homes in Viera, which remains among the nation's fastest-selling master-planned communities.
Cruise lines have stopped sailing from Port Canaveral due to the pandemic, but new ships are expected in the coming year.
Space launches have brought operations of major companies to the region, including Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, Chicago-based The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), Centennial, Colorado-based United Launch Alliance LLC and Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin LLC.
Aeiron Corp. is preparing to move its headquarters from Reno, Nevada, to Melbourne with the potential to create up to 675 jobs by 2026.
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