Florida News that impacts you – May 13th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
The Florida Department of Education has launched a five question survey asking parents questions pertaining to reopening schools. The questions are:
- What is your comfort level with students returning to school campuses?
- Would you feel comfortable having students on school campuses during the summer months (i.e. summer reading camps, youth development activities, summer training for athletes)?
- Do you believe school campuses will be ready to open full time by the regularly scheduled (mid-August) start date, or would you rather school to start after Labor Day (September 7)?
- Do you or your student have access to a device (e.g. tablet, laptop)?
- Do you or your student have access to a reliable internet connection?
The FDOE said these responses will be used to help make decisions regarding the 2020-2021 school year.
Research firm Unacast, which is using cellphone GPS data to make determinations about behaviors during the pandemic, has graded Florida an “F” for social distancing. This is based on unrelated cellphones coming within six feet of each other. According to the data Floridians have reduced close contact with strangers by less than 40%. In South Florida, Broward and Palm Beach Counties rate with a D+ while Miami-Dade received a C-. Monroe has the best rating in the state with a B-.
Broward’s County Administrator Bertha Henry told the Broward County Commission a plan was being finalized to join Miami-Dade in reopening next week. The plan would mirror the phase one reopening this week in Palm Beach County with 25% capacity for restaurants and retailers and would leave beaches closed.