Florida News That Impacts You – May 24th, 2021
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Florida had its lowest single day for new COVID-19 cases since October 12th on Monday, as the Florida Department of Health reported only 1,606 new cases. The weekly trend, which stands at 2,566 cases, is the lowest its been since October 9th.
- Florida’s vaccination rate continued to slow over the weekend according to Monday’s vaccine report. While Florida has exceeded 10 million total vaccinations, including 8 million who are fully vaccinated, initial reporting showed fewer than 5,000 new vaccinations on Sunday – the lowest total since the full rollout of vaccines and 30,000 fewer than the prior week. Approximately 55% of adults have been vaccinated.
- The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced the supplemental $300 weekly unemployment benefit will be dropped after June 26th. Florida’s unemployment rate is well below the national average and numerous businesses report hiring challenges directly related to the enhanced unemployment benefits in which many people have received as much or more than what they when working. 22 states had already announced opt out of the extra federal benefits.
- Governor DeSantis signed the “Big Tech Bill”, into law. The law mandates transparent, posted, guidelines for community standards that would lead a platform to censor or de-platform users. It mandates the standards be applied equally to all users. Under the law, Floridians would be able to sue for up to $100,000 if they feel they’ve been unfairly treated by companies. In addition, the state would be able to fine companies up to $250,000 per day per offense.
Photo Credit: Getty Images