Florida News that impacts you – May 5th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis called the infrastructure for the state’s unemployment process convoluted. He explained data stored in the system being from the prior decade was slowing it down. He said a complete change in the system isn’t an option because of how long it’d take to bring a new one online. Instead, software engineers have been working to rebuild the system on the backend while the site is taken offline to consistently increase capacity – 72 new servers have been added thus far & to remove unnecessary code. These issues are at the crux of what had been identified by auditors in previous reports as potential issues for the system if it saw high demand. The Governor also announced Inspector General Melina Miguel has been tasked to investigate the contract, vendor and related issues with the Connect system. The state still has approximately 900,000 claims to process.
- Carnival announced they’ll been cruising out of Miami and Port Canaveral starting August 1st. The company stated they’re seeking guidance from experts and government officials on the resumption of cruising this summer while emphasizing locations in which most passengers drive to the ports.
- Starting Wednesday Broward County is offering in-home COVID-19 testing for elderly and disabled residents. The Florida Department of Health in Broward County is administering the program with the Broward Department of Health calling residents with their test results and any required follow up medical care if needed.Interested residents should call 954-357-9500.
- In the federal court hearing over financial restitution of felon voting rights, Florida’s director of the Division of Elections, Maria Matthews, testified that as many as 85,000 registered voters may be ineligible to vote under Florida law. Most of the issues involve potential registered felons who are sexual offenders or even murder convictions which are ineligible under Amendment 4.