Florida News that impacts you – July 8th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis signed a 60-day renewal of the Florida Emergency Declaration due to COVID-19. Already the longest, continuous emergency in Florida’s history, the order ensures the state will operate under emergency status and guidelines at least into September. This means Florida’s August Primary elections will be held under a state of emergency.
- Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County School Districts are considering plans that don’t include reopening all schools for in-person education starting in August. While Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran signed an executive order mandating schools reopen, there was a caveat based on the guidance of state and local health agency recommendations. With all three counties still in phase one reopening, classroom education isn’t recommended by local health officials.
- The Florida Department of Health reported a record high 16.3% positive test rate for COVID-19 on Monday. The positive test rate in Florida has been above the 10% target rate and rising daily since June 22nd. Related, hospitalizations are now at the highest levels of the pandemic statewide with 43 hospital ICUs at capacity.
- Effective today Miami-Dade has closed vacation rentals, bars and dining room dining at restaurants once again amid the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Broward is expected to announce potential changes today – though they likely won’t be as restrictive as Miami-Dade's.
- A new study from JP Morgan Chase studying credit card data cross-referencing coronavirus cases with dining habits discovered a strong link between those who were dining out and subsequent infections. This data was considered by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation when they suspended on-premises consumption of alcohol recently.