Last Call for 1.4.21 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday rolled out a four-part plan to boost vaccination numbers and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to vaccinating elderly Floridians before essential workers.

“Florida is putting Seniors First and I’m pleased to announce four new actions that will continue our proactive approach to offering the vaccine to Floridians 65 and older, as well our continued efforts to vaccinate front-line health care workers and long-term care facility residents. Partnerships with Florida hospitals remain critical to our efforts, but this alone is not enough to reach our vaccination goals,” DeSantis said in a statement.

“To that end, I am directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to partner with the Florida Department of Health to identify additional sites to administer the vaccine and to be open seven days per week, including the conversion of state-supported testing sites and partnerships with places of worship in underserved communities. I am also directing the Division to hire additional nurses to support these sites and accelerate vaccinations in Florida’s over 3,000 assisted living facilities. We will continue to build on these efforts in the coming weeks.”

The Governor’s Office also gave a status report on vaccine rollouts, noting that Florida was the first state to inoculate staff and residents at long-term care facilities; offer vaccines to EMTs and paramedics; and allow county health departments and emergency managers to vaccinate seniors.

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Attorney General Ashley Moody recognized National Human Trafficking Prevention Month Monday, noting that there is much work to be done to curb the illegal trade in the Sunshine State.

Moody pointed to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which recorded a 40% increase in cases during April 2020, one month following the issuance of shelter-in-place orders. The number of victims seeking emergency shelter nearly doubled during the same time period.

“These heartbreaking and disturbing preliminary reports show us just how much work needs to be done to stop these monsters from forcing more innocent lives into this despicable, illicit enterprise,” Moody said. “I encourage all Floridians to learn the signs of human trafficking and take preventative action to protect yourself and your children’s online activity from human traffickers looking to exploit the virtual world to advance this repulsive, heinous crime.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing trafficking rings online, snuffing out the trade requires digital vigilance. Moody said Floridians can do their part by using a secure internet connection; deleting search and browser history to keep traffickers from accessing private information; checking privacy settings on social media accounts and disabling automatic GPS tracking; not posting personal or location information online; using parental controls, and informing children how to safely use the internet.

Moody also directed Floridians to an online archive of last year’s Human Trafficking Summit.

Held in October, the all-virtual event attracted 7,400 registrants from 43 states and several other countries. The Summit, and all of its educational content, can be accessed by registering at HumanTraffickingSummit.com.

For more information about how to spot and report human trafficking, visit YouCanStopHT.com. To report suspected human trafficking, contact local law enforcement, or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.

Coronavirus Numbers

Positive cases:

— 1,352,222 FL residents (+10,935 since Sunday)

— 24,470 Non-FL residents (+321 since Sunday)

Origin:

— 11,288 Travel related

— 507,977 Contact with a confirmed case

— 14,404 Both

— 818,553 Under investigation

Hospitalizations:

— 63,505 in FL

Deaths:

— 22,415 in FL

Evening Reads

“Donald Trump knows no limits as he tries to overturn the election” via Dan Balz of The Washington Post

“Carlos Curbelo calls Trump backers victims of ‘hijacked truth’” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics

“Tom Cotton, a Trump ally, won’t join GOP electoral college challenge, saying it ‘won’t give him a second term’” via Andrea Salcedo of The Washington Post

“Florida’s Republicans in Congress: A national embarrassment, a danger to democracy” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board

“Living in a dangerous time: We have a President willing to do anything, legal or illegal, to remain in office” via Lucy Morgan of the Florida Phoenix

“It’s impeachable. It’s likely illegal. It’s a coup.” via Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post

“The case for Republicans in Georgia vs the case for Democrats” via Nathaniel Rakich and Geoffrey Skelley of FiveThirtyEight

“Palm Beach County congressman says he’ll vote to reject election results; no word from Marco Rubio or Rick Scott” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Trump pressures Georgia elections chief: ‘Find 11,780 votes’” via Jeff Amy, Darlene Superville and Jonathan Lemire of The Associated Press

“‘Not at this time’: Gov. Ron DeSantis suggests teachers will remain off the vaccine priority list” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics

“Two years into his tenure, DeSantis faces pitfalls, victories and the all-encompassing COVID-19” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix

“DeSantis bashes ‘browbeating’ hypocrisy from virus lockdown proponents” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

“Georgia’s costly U.S. Senate showdowns roil ahead of rally finales” via John McCosh of the Florida Phoenix

“Inside the POLITICO Playbook shake-up” via Maxwell Tani of the Daily Beast

“Five Florida legal fights to watch in 2021” via Jim Saunders of The News Service of Florida

“Extended jobless benefits become available” via Jim Turner of News Service of Florida

“Sheriff Gregory Tony v ex-Sheriff Scott Israel’s top brass in Broward court fight over unused sick time” via Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog

“The Capitolist’s Crystal Ball for 2021: Lauren Book, Matt Gaetz, Scott and more!” via Brian Burgess of The Capitolist

“2020 was a deadly year for Florida manatees” via Alexi C. Cardona of the Miami New Times

Quote of the Day

“I do not want to see a vaccine sitting around not being used when you could be putting a shot in an arm.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying hospitals that don’t use vaccines quick enough will not be prioritized for future shipments.

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