Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
‘Nik at Night’ — Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried is holding the first in a series of virtual events tonight. The “Nik at Night” conversation will be held over Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It takes an RSVP and a contribution to her political committee to get the link. Attendance for guests is $25, with contribution tiers topping out at $250 for “hosts.”
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Three-quarters of Floridians are losing sleep over pocketbook issues, according to a new poll conducted by MoneyWise Florida and released alongside Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Suncoast Credit Union.
The survey found 74% of Floridians had financial worries at least “sometimes,” though a portion are even more stressed, telling the statewide financial public education initiative their worries are either “often” or “constant.”
The angst is a direct symptom of the coronavirus — more than half of respondents said they are more worried now than they were three months ago. That’s doubly true among women and Hispanic Floridians.
Furthermore, areas with the highest rate of money malaise overlap with virus hotspots. MoneyWise Florida found Southeast Florida residents may be under considerable more financial stress than residents in other parts of the state.
About 40% of Florida’s coronavirus cases have been recorded in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties, and more than 4,600 residents have died in the region.
Additionally, and as the pandemic rolls on, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they have less than six of savings, while nearly 1 in 5 households report no savings at all.
MoneyWise Florida is offering a possible remedy for stressed Floridians: A new financial education video series, Fast Financial Facts, hosted by former journalist and Emmy Award-winner Kathy Times and featuring MoneyWise Florida’s partner experts.
“When we launched MoneyWise Florida this past spring, we knew Floridians needed access to reliable resources that could help them weather these unprecedented times,” Patronis said. “These latest survey results underscore the continuing need to provide Floridians with additional financial knowledge, tips, and tools to help them through this prolonged difficult era.”
Suncoast Credit Union president and CEO Kevin D. Johnson added, “COVID-19 has disrupted most Floridian’s lives in many different ways. Many families are struggling to recover financially after the sudden slowdown of economic activity. This new video series is yet another valuable resource created by MoneyWise Florida to help Floridians with their financial health and wellness.”
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 605,342 FL residents (+3,229 since Wednesday)
— 6,649 Non-FL residents (+40 since Wednesday)
Origin:
— 4,657 Travel related
— 199,468 Contact with a confirmed case
— 4,878 Both
— 396,339 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 37,718 in FL
Deaths:
— 11,011 in FL
Evening Reads
“Joe Biden weighs in on Jacksonville’s Ax Handle Saturday commemoration” via the Florida Times-Union
“Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes back Donald Trump’s claim that law enforcement will serve as poll watchers” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“3K people test positive for COVID-19 in Florida, 142 confirmed dead” via Florida Politics
“South Florida daily COVID-19 death toll drops slightly after four-day rise” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Florida Supreme Court says DeSantis ‘exceeded his authority’ in Renatha Francis appointment” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“Judge rejects putting schools ruling on hold” via Dara Kam of The News Service of Florida
“DeSantis predicts state win over union in school reopening lawsuit” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Amid Florida’s budget shortfall, corporations lobby for more tax cuts” via Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel
“Florida overlooked $50M Deloitte fine from Rhode Island” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
“New marijuana edible rules will give Floridians something to munch on” via Samantha Gross of the Miami Herald
Quote of the Day
“There’s a lot of talk, a judge that ruled this and all this, but here’s what I was telling the commissioner when he was telling me about the ruling. You know, if the appeals court rules against the state, you know, in three weeks, those districts … the parents are still going to want to have that option, so functionally I don’t think it’s going to change.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the school reopening order appeal
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