Staff Reports
State health officials Sunday reported 740 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of cases in Florida to 50,867, including 49,547 Florida residents.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) also reported a rise in hospitalizations. Sunday’s report announced an additional 71 hospitalizations, raising the total amount to 9,381 in the state.
Moreover, 4 fatalities were confirmed Sunday totaling 80 non-residents. Since the pandemic’s onset, 2,316 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus in Florida including 2,236 Florida residents.
In the last 24 hours, 151 people have tested positive in Miami-Dade County, bumping the number of total cases to 16,845. The county’s death toll increased by 2 to 641.
The total of positive tests in Broward County increased by 48 to 6,697. The death toll, however, remained at 314.
In Palm Beach County, the total amount of cases rose by 61 to 5,201. The death toll remained at 326.
Six other counties have more than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases including Hillsborough with 1,824, Orange with 1,732, Lee with 1,648, Duval with 1,385, Collier with 1,177 and Pinellas with 1,127.
In long term care facilities in Florida, the death toll for residents 1,032.
The new totals come in wake of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s decision to lift the restriction on vacation rentals in certain counties ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
42 counties including Orange, Brevard, Hillsborough, and Volusia County were permitted to allow vacation rentals with the blessing of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
As of Sunday, only 25 counties remain under restriction and without the blessing for vacation rentals.
In another move, DeSantis announced Friday alongside Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry a decision to lift restrictions on youth activities such as team sports and summer camps.
“We trust parents to be able to make decisions,” DeSantis said during a press conference Friday in Jacksonville.
While the statewide restriction is no longer in effect, DeSantis clarified that the ultimate decision will be left in the hands of local governments.
“I’m not preempting them from being able to do anything,” DeSantis said of local regulations.
The path toward reopening has not a smooth one for DeSantis. On Saturday, Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried threw stones at the Governor’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and called into question the information Floridians are receiving during an interview on MSNBC.
“People can’t trust the information,” Fried said, adding that the actions of DeSantis are “right out of the Donald Trump playbook.”
Fried also pounced on the dismissal of Rebekah Jones, a former worker for the state’s COVID-19 dashboard who was allegedly fired for spotlighting her problems with the process.
“This is a pattern of deception we’ve seen from the Governor over and over again,” Fried said.
4 comments
Keepthenano
May 24, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Are the hospitals overwhelmed? No. Case closed. These fascists want everything permanently shut down until the deadly Gates mRNA vaccine is mandated on all citizens. They will drag out the lockdown because they want mail-in voting and for the economy to be so bad that people become desperate and hopeless. The progressive Marxists want the constitution and our freedoms gone so the UN one world government can take hold. Remember Gates wants the population reduced by 6.5 Billion. What better way than with man made viruses and killer vaccines.
Becky
May 24, 2020 at 4:20 pm
I still say that 90% of this whole debacle is about the Democrats trying to make our President look bad. In my opinion he is the best President this country has seen in a lot of years, and the democrats are nothing short of socialistic/communists.
optimus non prime
May 24, 2020 at 7:02 pm
Keepwhining is another Qanon loudmouth conspiracy theorist who hates the United States, the Constitution and the rule of law. He would rather see Trump become emperor and have all dissent, free speech and freedom of the press taken away from everyone and make the US look like North Korea. If keepwhining was alive in the 15th century he’d be the one telling you the earth was flat and would advocate for burning witches.
Liane Hinch
May 24, 2020 at 4:49 pm
Sunday is not even over. Also DOH has been closed Saturday and today. People are just making shit up!! How about this. Let’s keep Trump in office during this “catastrophe” until we he all clear is called. A change in leadership would be a bad idea, right?
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