Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Bars and restaurants will start feeling the effects of COVID-19 shortly if they aren’t already.
Today, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that restaurants in Florida can stay open, but they can’t go past half capacity in their seating areas. Bars and nightclubs must shut down for the next month. The Guv also directed eateries to start screening employees and send home any staff showing symptoms of the new coronavirus.
That’s the bare minimum — local governments will be allowed to set stricter requirements. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association acknowledged it was a necessary step and praised DeSantis for allowing establishments to remain open, even if only in a limited capacity.
“I want to commend Gov. DeSantis for his extraordinary leadership in keeping Floridians safe during this unprecedented time,” FRLA President Carol Dover said. “We appreciate his thoughtful and measured approach to this historic emergency event.”
Evening Reads
“Trump administration seeks roughly $850 billion in emergency stimulus to confront coronavirus economic fallout” via The Washington Post
“Marriott begins furloughing tens of thousands of employees” via Craig Karmin of The Wall Street Journal
“Florida members of Congress call for special ACA enrollment period amid coronavirus outbreak” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Federal Medicare and Medicaid agency approves Florida waiver request to fight COVID-19” via Florida Politics
“Two dead from coronavirus at Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility, Mayor says” via Marc Freeman and Rosemary O’Hara of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Coronavirus in Florida: Half of cases involve people 60 or older, according to state data” via Zack Sampson of the Tampa Bay Times
“Governor confirms four University of Florida students test positive for coronavirus” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Many state employees can’t work remotely during outbreak” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat
“Shevrin Jones pushes for pause on evictions, utility shutdowns during coronavirus outbreak” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Jackie Toledo calls on Seminole Hard Rock Casino to scale back operations amid coronavirus outbreak” via Janelle Irwin of Florida Politics
“Last call in Orlando: Buddy Dyer bans alcohol sales in bars” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Laurel Lee: Despite Palm Beach County voting hiccup, precincts prepared for voters” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Florida’s primary — more than Party, it’s choosing an American identity” via Joe Gruters for Florida Politics
“Nikki Fried cuts last-last minute ad for Joe Biden” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Trump taps Carlos Trujillo to be an Assistant Secretary of State” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“This is the floor for Florida for the foreseeable future.” — Ron DeSantis, on his order to shut down bars and limit restaurants to half capacity.
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Breakthrough Insights
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Follow FloridaPolitics.com for the latest announcements from the Governor and other state leaders.
