Florida News that impacts you – July 15th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Amid the debate regarding the reopening schools for the upcoming school, according to Florida Department of Health records, the highest positivity rate in testing for the coronavirus is coming from those under the age of 18. 31% of all minors tested for COVID-19 have been positive. Wednesday the Palm Beach County School Board will vote on how to proceed with the upcoming school year, while it’s the survey deadline for parents in Miami-Dade to provide feedback.
- Speaking of positivity rates, the Florida Department of Health confirmed certain medical labs across the state have at times only been reporting positive case results. Doing so doesn’t alter the total confirmed cases or related deaths, however it can inflate the positive test rate which health departments and the CDC use to track community spread. Orlando Health, Lee Memorial Hospital Lab, PanCare of Florida and Advance Medical of Naples are confirmed to have, at times only reported positive test results. Fox 35 News in Orlando led the investigation.
- Despite the recent surge in home sales amid pent up demand from lockdowns and record low mortgage rates, CoreLogic is predicting Florida’s biggest year over year price decline since the housing crisis. Citing high unemployment and an unlikely return to normal tourism for the foreseeable future, CoreLogic is predicting average price declines of 6.6% between now and next May.
- Florida’s Democrats are considering ousting party Chair Terrie Rizzo, after it was revealed that the Florida Democratic party illegally applied for and received $815,000 in Paycheck Protection money. A Freedom of Information Act request revealed the party’s tapping into the pool of money aimed to help small businesses and non-profits through the pandemic. The law and SBA guidelines explicitly stated money may not be used for political organizations.
- eMerge Florida’s largest annual technology conference, scheduled for Miami in November has been postponed to April of 2021.