Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined the first phase of re-opening the state economy on Wednesday. It’s baby steps for now.
DeSantis’ plan will allow restaurant dining rooms and retail stores to reopen as soon as Monday. However, they would be limited to 25% capacity to decrease the chances of a flare-up in coronavirus cases.
The Governor is giving locals the final say, too, except for in South Florida. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach will remain under a stay-at-home until there are more signs of recovery.
The first step will also allow hospitals to start performing elective surgeries again, with a couple of strings attached — they must help long-term care facilities contain any virus outbreaks and have enough medical supplies on hand to deal with any potential spike in patients.
Long-term care facilities and prisons will remain closed to visitors. Also excluded from phase one: Gyms and bars.
Sporting events will be allowed, though not with spectators. The Governor had already telegraphed that decision, allowing for pro wrestling tapings and encouraging a head-to-head golf match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
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Midtown Reader is hosting a Zoom conference with Jeb Bush Jr., Pierce Bush and Jean Becker at noon Friday.
Midtown Reader owner/operator Sally Bradshaw and the trio will discuss “Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice (That Go a Long Way),” a collection of the advice of former First Lady Barbara Bush, published posthumously.
The collection, compiled by Becker, is a New York Times bestseller. Barbara Bush, who died in 2018, is the grandmother of Jeb Bush Jr. and Pierce Bush. Becker was President George H.W. Bush chief of staff and the former First Lady’s press secretary.
Readers interested in turning in to the call can sign up for the link on Zoom. A confirmation email with instructions for joining the call will be sent after registration.
There is no cost to attend the virtual event. A percentage of proceeds from the sales of Pearls of Wisdom will be donated to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
The Zoom call is subbing in for an in-person discussion with Becker and former Gov. Jeb Bush, which was originally scheduled for Friday. It has been delayed due to the new coronavirus, but Midtown Reader plans to reschedule it for a later date.
Midtown Reader, a quaint Thomasville Road locale that’s just a short drive from the state Capitol, is an independent general subject bookstore that boasts a wide variety of political books, along with works from other genres, on its shelves.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 32,318 FL residents (+332 since Tuesday)
— 875 Non-FL residents (-5 since Tuesday)
Origin:
— 1,731 Travel related
— 11,122 Contact with a confirmed case
— 1,557 Both
— 17,908 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 5,419 in FL
Deaths:
— 1,218 in FL
Unemployment numbers
As of Tuesday:
Total claims: 2,028,635 (+86,828 since Monday)
— Confirmed unique claims: 835,290
— Claim verification queue: 161,285
— Claims processed: 674,005
— Claims paid: 404,317 (+12,266 since Monday)
Total paid out: $553.6 million (+$30.1 million since Monday)
Evening Reads
“Inside Donald Trump and Jared Kushner’s two months of magical thinking” via Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair
“Trump administration signals support for allies’ fight against virus orders” via Lisa Lerer and
“Anthony Fauci: Everyone who needs a test should be able to get one by June” via Fadel Allassan of Axios
“Gov. Ron DeSantis takes first ‘baby step’ to reopening state” via the Associated Press
“Marco Rubio says life won’t be ‘back to normal’ until coronavirus vaccine is released” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Marco Rubio joins Rick Scott, says too many of the unemployed don’t want to work” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Rick Scott, a man of no sympathy for ‘whiners who lost their little jobs’ and try to access FL’s glitch-prone, crash-happy unemployment system” via Diane Roberts of Florida Phoenix
“Lawyers say state not handing over documents about flawed Florida unemployment system” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat
“Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. The state made them stop” via The Tampa Bay Times
“How can online learning work if students aren’t online? And what happens if kids don’t participate?” via Isaac Morgan of Florida Phoenix
“Doctors: Orange County businesses could open soon. But safety protocols in dispute” via Stephan Hudak and Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel
“Timeline: How the coronavirus hit Jacksonville” via Emily Bloch of the Florida Times-Union
“State elections office in Tallahassee closes after worker tests positive for coronavirus” via the Tallahassee Democrat
“UCF set to pass out relief money to students” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Coronavirus crisis convinces Bob Cortes to run again in HD 30” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Margaret Good parts ways with campaign manager” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
“GOP candidates will stay first on Florida ballots, U.S. appeals court rules” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel
“FSU’s Bobby Bowden remains upbeat following hospital stay for infection” via Jim Henry of the Tallahassee Democrat
Quote of the Day
“The only thing we have to fear is letting fear overwhelm our sense of purpose and determination.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, announcing his re-opening plans.
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