Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The Florida Department of Health has reported record-busting numbers of coronavirus more than once over the past couple of weeks, but Floridians still say they approve of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 response.
A new poll released by the Florida Chamber of Commerce found 57% of voters say they’re satisfied with how the Governor has navigated the crisis while 39% disapprove, however, the top-line numbers conceal a deep partisan divide.
The bulk of DeSantis’ support comes from within his own party, with 85% of Republicans backing him compared to 9% who think he’s mishandled the Florida theater of the pandemic.
The gulf wasn’t as pronounced among Democrats, who disapprove by a 64%-31% margin. The Governor is still above water among third- and no-party voters, 55% of them approve of how he’s managed the pandemic response.
DeSantis fares better in overall job performance, though only by a hair. Nearly nine in 10 Republicans, 52% of independents and 31% of Democrats are in his corner which earns him a plus-22 approval rating overall.
“Politically and economically speaking, Florida is the most significant state in America in 2020, and voters overwhelmingly support Florida’s approach to COVID-19, believe our economy will continue to improve, approve of the job Gov. DeSantis is doing, and believe jobs and our economy should continue to be our focus,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said.
The Florida Chamber poll was conducted June 6-15 by Cherry Communications. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The sample included 248 Democrats, 243 Republicans and 120 Others for 611 respondents statewide.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 83,854 80,676 FL residents (+3,178 since Wednesday)
— 2,072 Non-FL residents (+29 since Tuesday)
Origin:
— 2,315 Travel related
— 37,533 Contact with a confirmed case
— 2,237 Both
— 41,769 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 12,577 in FL
Deaths:
— 3,061 in FL
Unemployment numbers
As of Wednesday:
Total claims: 2,550,218
— Confirmed unique claims: 2,354,683
— Claim verification queue: 197,729
— Claims processed: 2,156,954
— Claims paid: 1,437,029 (+41,761 since Tuesday)
Total paid out: $6.52 billion (+$200 million since Tuesday)
Evening Reads
“Supreme Court blocks Donald Trump’s bid to end DACA, a win for undocumented ‘Dreamers’” via Robert Barnes of The Washington Post
“Our new polling averages show Joe Biden leads Trump by 9 points nationally” via Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight
“Anthony Fauci says it’s ‘very hard to see’ NFL, college football seasons this fall” via Alex Butler of UPI
“‘Banking while Black’: How cashing a check can be a minefield” via Emily Flitter of The New York Times
“So you want to learn about Juneteenth?” via Derrick Bryson Taylor of The New York Times
“Juneteenth observed by growing number of companies” via Kathryn Dill of The Wall Street Journal
“‘We know we haven’t beaten this’: Rick Scott’s COVID-19 warning to Floridians” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Marco Rubio introduces bill to compensate NCAA athletes for name, image and likeness” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald
“Models show virus growing in Florida in the coming months” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Florida jobless claims fall to lowest since March” via Gary Fineout and Rebecca Rainey of POLITICO Florida
“Farmworkers: Ron DeSantis’ remarks ‘shameful’” via Ana Ceballos of News Service of Florida
“Florida TaxWatch recommends $6B in budget savings as 2020 fiscal year looms” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Florida police chiefs create panel to go beyond ‘can’t-wait’ reforms” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Rene Plasencia urges mandatory masks in public” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“RE: Florida boaters. Shouldn’t we expect them to have learned how to avoid hitting each other?” via Craig Pittman of the Florida Phoenix
“Florida Gators banning ‘Gator Bait’ cheer because of the phrase’s ‘horrific historic racist imagery’” via Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times
Quote of the Day
“We know we haven’t beaten this. I’ve talked to employers. They’re worried about keeping their employees safe, trying to get their customers back safely. Everybody’s got to take this seriously, and it’s my experience in Florida that’s what people are doing. And we’ll see.” — Sen. Rick Scott, on the spike in coronavirus cases.
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