Renzo Downey
Senate President Wilton Simpson has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Florida’s Electoral College vote Monday.
The Trilby Republican, officially tapped last month to lead the Florida Senate the next two years, wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis a letter Monday morning notifying him of the result.
“As a result of this positive test, it is with great regret that I inform you I will not be able to attend today’s meeting of Florida’s Presidential Electors,” Simpson wrote. “It was a great honor to be selected to serve our state in this historic capacity, and I was very much looking forward to casting my vote for President Trump and Vice President Pence. The Senate is honored to host the meeting of Florida’s Presidential Electors in our chamber, and my staff remains available to assist as needed.”
Florida has 29 electors who will cast the state’s votes for President and Vice President Monday afternoon on the Senate floor. In advance of the election, the Republican Party of Florida submitted a slate of electors to the Division of Elections that includes some prominent elected officials, but also significant donors to Republican campaigns in the state. Electors will cast votes on Florida’s behalf after Trump won the presidential election in Florida even as he lost nationwide.
Simpson was also scheduled to host a pre-Session briefing with reporters Tuesday morning, a holiday tradition.
“We are sorry to miss this chance to catch up with everyone before the holidays, and look forward to seeing you all in the new year,” said Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for the Senate President.
RPOF Chair Joe Gruters gets to select replacements for the vote, including two other members who have canceled for non-COVID-related reasons. Gruters told Florida Politics there is a list of alternates who will be in Tallahassee, but those replacements won’t be named until the college convenes.
Simpson, who has advocated for the use of face masks, is experiencing “mild symptoms,” similar to having a mild head cold or allergies, Betta said.
Senate staff members who had contact with Simpson last week were tested Monday morning “out of an abundance of caution,” Betta said in an email.
“Everyone was negative,” she said.
While some other Republican leaders have taken more-cavalier approaches to COVID-19, Simpson has adopted more-stringent protocols for senators and staff to try to reduce the spread of the highly contagious virus, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 20,000 people in Florida since the onset of the pandemic.
The Trilby Republican initiated precautions even before taking over as the Senate’s leader following the November elections.
Simpson, a farmer and contractor who also made part of his fortune in the asbestos remediation industry, signed a two-year contract in October with a team from Tampa General Hospital to make recommendations about social distancing, air filtration and other COVID-19-related precautions in advance of the 2021 legislative session.
Committee meetings for the annual 60-day session, which kicks off March 2, begin next month.
State lawmakers were offered COVID-19 tests at a testing site set up outside the Capitol prior to a legislative organization session on Nov. 17. Nine lawmakers, including those who were asymptomatic, were excused from attendance because they tested positive for the virus or were exposed to COVID-19 in the days leading up to the largely ceremonial session.
Simpson announced this month that no more than three Senate committees will meet at the same time when lawmakers return to Tallahassee next year.
The block scheduling “will allow us to utilize the committee rooms with the largest seating area for senators,” Simpson wrote in a Dec. 3 memo.
But Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls have not released plans about public attendance inside the Capitol — which has been closed to the public for months because of the pandemic — during the committee weeks and the Legislative Session.
Simpson’s positive test result also nixed an annual holiday breakfast with reporters, scheduled for Tuesday. In previous years, the gathering was held in the Senate president’s office. Due to the coronavirus, this year’s event was slated to take place in the Senate chamber.
State health officials on Sunday reported more than 1.125 million COVID-19 cases since March. The state has recorded thousands of new cases each day for weeks.
More than 19,800 Florida residents have died of complications related to COVID-19, and 267 non-residents have died, according to Sunday’s report.
Many of the deaths in Florida — more than 7,700 involve residents and staff of longterm care facilities.
The federal government is sending 179,400 doses of Pfizer Inc.’s recently approved vaccine to Florida, with the first doses arriving Monday. DeSantis said that 81,900 doses of the vaccine will be distributed to long-term care facilities. The remainder will go to five hospitals throughout the state.
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Florida Politics reporter Jacob Ogles and The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
