Florida News – Highlights from around the state – April 17th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Florida processed 180,000 unemployment claims in the previous week while the system continued to often fail due to the demand and failures of the previous operating system. The actual total is likely significantly higher and won’t be fully reflected until the system has caught up with attempted claims.
- Governor DeSantis stated a total of 57,424 unemployment checks (combination of state and federal benefits) have been sent since the spike in claims began in March. There are an estimated 880,000 claims which have been received by the state. Related...
- Governor DeSantis signed an executive order waving the two-week check ins with the Department of Economic Opportunity confirming unemployment status. He stated the already over loaded system didn’t need the extra strain and it would make it easier for Floridians to obtain and retain benefits. 80,000 Floridians are immediately impacted by the decision with benefits to be automatically processed.
- March proved to be the driest statewide in 89 years according to the South Florida Water Management District. Subsequently, it was also the hottest on record. Only .24 inches of rain, on average, occurred statewide.
- Publix announced a $530,000 donation to Florida food banks with Feeding South Florida receiving the most - $150,000. Publix has pledged a total of $1 million thus far during the pandemic.