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A US Senate Committee heard testimony from the US Labor secretary along with a panel of experts on the rollout of the CARES Act unemployment benefits and the future of the program Tuesday.

Florida State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez was on the panel and reported on the disastrous failures of the state’s unemployment system early on in the pandemic.

Rodriquez testified the state has proven to be one of the slowest in the nation when it comes to distributing the $600 a week federal benefits.

“If you take two of the federal programs the one that gives $600 a week, the State of Florida has only distributed about half of that money to eligible Floridians, which means the other half is still sitting in DC. With the other program for gig workers, self employed, by my count for every dollar the State of Florida has distributed three dollars are still sitting in DC,” said Rodriguez.

And while the Governor has commissioned an investigation into how the state spent $77 million on a broken unemployment system, Rodriguez agrees with calls from top ranking US Senators for the federal government to look into the matter as well.

Florida’s smallest counties, 55 of them, are still waiting on more than a billion dollars in Federal Cares Act funding while the other 12 larger more urban counties have had the money for months.

The delay is because of how Congress ordered the money distributed.

Congress ordered that the state’s biggest population centers should get their more than $2 billion in Cares Act funds directly from the US Treasury, but it said the Governor was best suited to distribute another $1.2 billion to the more rural areas.

They are still waiting.

”Its very disappointing,” said John Meeks, President of the Small County Coalition.

John Meeks is the President of the Small County Coalition. “This money is critical to the small businesses and the people who are self employed.”

The same is true in agricultural and tourist dependent Okeechobee county.
“We dumped over 41 trailers of milk out on to the ground because the processing plant wasn’t taking it,” said Okeechobee County Commissioner Terry Burroughs.

Burroughs told us he has modified a plan developed by Pinellas and Pasco counties to distribute grants to small businesses.

“It affected almost everything in our community for the forty one thousand people that we have in our community,” said Burroughs.

The delay isn’t political.

Most of the small counties still waiting for money voted Republican, while the big counties that got money mostly vote blue.

And in Hardee County, the delay is creating political problems as residents watch grants being given to neighboring Polk County businesses.

“It’s kind of made some of the local residents here in Hardee county feel like we’re not getting treated fairly as the big counties are being treated,” said Hardee County Commissioner Russel Melendy.

We’ve asked the Governor’s office about the delay.

One concern is that if the locals misspend the money, the state could be on the hook for it.

The small counties say keeping businesses alive now is critical to keeping a solid tax base in the years to come.

Gwen Margolis, the first female President of the Florida Senate and the last Democrat to preside for two full years over the state’s upper chamber has died.

Margolis was 85.

First elected to the Senate in 1980, she became the Senate President in 1990.

The Miami Beach Democrat returned to state politics in 2002 and stepped down from the Senate again in 2008 to allow someone else to run before running and winning a third time in 2010.

She championed the equal rights Amendment and is responsible for implementing the will of voters who wanted a Department of Elder Affairs.

A handful of Florida lawmakers have been pushing for criminal justice reform for years in the State Legislature, but their bills seldom make it far in the process.

However, the immense protests across the state and nation over the death of George Floyd have reformers hopeful the 2021 Legislative Session will be different.

More than a week straight of mass protests across the state and country has put a spotlight on the public’s frustration with the criminal justice system.

“I’m hoping that my counterparts across the isle really get the message,” said State Representative Dianne Hart.

Hart and the Florida Black Caucus have put together seven pieces of legislation aimed at greater accountability and punishment for bad actors in the justice system.

“At a time like this everybody should be held accountable,” said Hart.

State Senator Jeff Brandes has spent years pushing for reforms.

“It’s not just law enforcement, it’s the court system itself and then it’s obviously the prison system,” said Brandes.

He hopes the Legislature can allocate more dollars to officer training.

“But in order to free up resources to do that we need to look at the broader criminal justice system, including the prison system, and figuring out what’s going to give us the best results,” said Brandes.

Heavy opposition from law enforcement and prosecutors have largely quashed even modest attempts at reform in years past.

It’s not yet clear what reforms they may be willing to stomach in light of the protests.

But Representative Byron Donalds believes many of the reforms need to be tackled at the local level.

“The actual policies and protocols that they use are part of their training and that’s stuff that the Legislature doesn’t typically write,” said Donalds.

The incoming House and Senate leadership haven’t spoken to reforms directly.

Instead, their social media accounts have largely focused on their displeasure with rioting that has occurred.

Shy of a special session, which one state senator has called for, lawmakers won’t be back in the Capitol until November.

In the meantime lawmakers we spoke with are urging citizens to call their elected officials and advocate for criminal justice reform.

The 2020 election is officially underway as qualifying for State House and Senate seats began at noon Monday.

Democrats remain a minority in the State Legislature, but are hoping moderate gains can help level the partisan playing field.

A dropbox replaced the traditional parade of candidates waiting to qualify.

It didn’t stop Rodney Long from Gainesville coming to make sure his paperwork to run for a State House seat got delivered in person.

“So my stamp of approval would be that I personally brought it up here, and I put in the box, so I know it got here,” said Long.

Long shot GOP State Senate candidate Benjamin Horbowy arrived doing his own facebook live announcement.

“We have to do what no man has ever done before,” said Horbowy.

For the first time since Democrats lost control of the State Legislature in the mid 1990’s, a Democrat has filed to run in each and every one of the state’s 120 House seats.

But GOP consultant Brett Doster doesn’t think it will matter.

“It depends on the district, and it depends on the candidate, but the reality is I think the GOP is still in a very good position to hold the State House,” said Doster.

Democratic data cruncher Matt Isbell thinks running someone in every House seat could help turnout and Joe Biden.

“It will give them another reason to come out and will help make them more engaged. Especially as the statewide campaign for President can only be in so many parts of the state at once. It helps kind of operate as a surrogate campaign,” said Isbell.

But Isbell said the State Senate is more important, where Dems are just three seats short of a tie.

“If they can get to 20 and tie, it will very important issue for redistricting coming up,” said Isbell.

The outcome of the Senate races will likely determine which party controls the Legislature into the 2030’s.

Universal Studios opened its doors Friday as the state moved into Phase Two of reopening.

As entertainment venues begin operations tourists won’t be far behind.

That’s good news for the state’s economy, but recent increases in COVID-19 cases have some warning caution before planning that next vacation.

As part of Phase Two, theme parks can operate at 50 percent capacity.

Universal opened at 35 percent capacity, and Disney won’t begin opening its parks until July.

But the return of the major attractions is an encouraging sign for industries that rely on tourism dollars.

“From retail to lodging to food service and so as those amenities come back online it’s going to be very helpful to the economy,” said Vice Pesident of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Geoff Luebkemann.

VISIT FLORIDA is still preparing for its in-state ad campaign, but data on its website shows tourist confidence is steadily rising nationwide.

That means it’s likely out of state travelers will begin returning to Florida.

But Orlando State Senator Linda Stewart is urging caution before racing off to the theme parks.

“It’s up to the individual’s decision on whether they want to take that risk now or not and they may just wait a month or two,” said Stewart.

COVID-19 cases saw a spike the past few days, which could reflect the return of large crowds over Memorial Day weekend.

Stewart said ultimately it will fall on businesses and individuals to take the proper precautions for Phase Two to be successful.

“We can only hope that, with good luck, that when these open that it will not be devastating and we’ll be able to continue on,” said Stewart.

And when VISIT FLORIDA launches its in-state ad campaign the focus will be on outdoor tourist attractions like parks and beaches.

Whether theme parks will be part of the campaign is to be determined.

If you’d like to see the COVID-19 tourism data collected by Visit Florida for yourself, click here.

The data is updated daily.

Students returned to FSU’s campus Thursday to move out of their dorms, nearly three months after they closed because of the pandemic.

While students are moving out, university leaders are continuing to develop plans to keep students safe when they return in the fall.

When students left for spring break they didn’t realize it’d be the last time they’d see campus for nearly three months.

Thursday they were just happy to get their stuff back.

“I was missing everything,” said FSU student Mackenzie Hill.

But they know when they return in the fall things won’t be completely back to normal.

Universities are still deciding which courses can return to the classroom and which will stay online.

We do know FSU is planning for two weeks of virtual learning after Thanksgiving break.

Sarah Kissane is hopeful she can return to the classroom, but is prepared if that’s not the case.

“For next semester I have most of my classes online anyway, which actually kind of benefits in this situation cause if they do move online I’m kind of already set up for that,” said Kissane.

Gloves and face masks will likely be a key strategy.

And the University of Florida has suggested testing wastewater at dorm buildings for virus particles in order to spot outbreaks.

“And then see are there hotspots that we can then target and say, okay we can justify doing these 100 tests in this dorm or this area has at least one case. Do we know about it? Okay, let’s do extra surveillance,” said Michael Lauzardo with the UF College of Medicine during a board of trustees meeting Thursday.

Kissane’s mother Melanie is confident the universities will keep her daughter safe.

“I feel like they’re taking all the right steps to make sure that the kids are safe in the fall, but I do want them to be able to be back and be in that college environment again,” said Melanie.

While most students are moving out at FSU, the university told us international students are still living in the dorms since they can’t travel back home.

They’ll continue living on campus until other arrangements can be made.

FSU will finalize its reopening plans by June 18th.

All universities will present their plans to the board of governors on June 23rd.

An effort to put the question of banning so-called ‘assault weapons’ before voters in 2022 has been blocked by the Florida Supreme Court.

The court ruled the ballot language was misleading because it said currently owned assault weapons could be registered and exempt from the ban, but the amendment actually would have only exempted the current owner from the ban.

The weapons themselves would be illegal if they were transferred to another owner.

Former NRA President Marion Hammer considers the ruling a victory.

“This was a great win for law-abiding gun owners in Florida. The Supreme Court agreed with our contention that the ballot summary was deceptive and would fool voters,” said Hammer.

Opponents of the amendment also took issue with the way it defined assault weapons, arguing it would have banned virtually all long guns capable of holding more than one round at a time.

However the court did not weigh in on that issue.

The state has ended its relationship with a South Florida doctor contracted to communicate COVID-19 test results to people who took the test.

Published reports show notification delays are common, which was the case for reporter Mike Vasilinda in his own rest results taken in the middle of May.

I went to this testing site on May 14th not because I had symptoms, but because I wanted to show you what it was like to be tested.

I was given a ticket and directed to a woman, who took my name.

Then I was directed through the FAMU stadium, showed my ID to a national guardsman, then directed to stand on a red X.

“I’m going to swab your nose, ok?” said the doctor.

A swap was inserted in my left nasal canal and rotated five times.

Unpleasant, but not painful.

Then repeated in my right cavity.

As I left, I was applauded, and then told that if I didn’t hear anything in a week, give them a call.

I got a call on the seventh day, but it didn’t tell me my results.

I sent multiple emails and I called the number given to me at the test site.

Testing contractor CDR McGuire’s phone log shows I was called again on May 29 and again on June 1st before they got through on the second.

Negative as expected.

Donna Wolfson and her husband of Sarasota waited 15 days for her results, which came back negative.

“It’s, the whole thing was just so frustrating, because if they want us to be tested, and are making decisions on that testing, if you don’t get the results, then what’s the point of getting tested,” said Wolfson.

The testing company in Sarasota is not the same company that handled Mike’s test in the state capital.

In a statement CDR McGuire reassured us that people who test positive are at the top of the list for being called.

CDR McGuire has now also launched a patient portal where patients login, are sent a verification code and delivered their results.

Florida continues to see record gun sales as the pandemic and civil unrest over the death of George Floyd rock the nation.

With more and more Floridians purchasing guns, Florida Democrats are increasingly concerned about recent comments from public officials warning and even urging citizens to shoot rioters and looters.

From January to May firearm background checks in Florida were up almost 48 percent compared to last year.

Pawn Shop owner Mark Folmar told us most of the sales early on were due to the pandemic.

“Concerned about their safety,” said Folmar.

And he’s seeing a new type of customer.

“People that had not previously owned guns or hadn’t thought they needed one,” said Folmar.

The influx of new gun owners has Florida Democrats like State Senator Lori Berman concerned.

“Having a gun leads to more gun deaths, leads to more unnatural deaths,“ said Berman.

Store owners we’ve spoken with also report ammo sales are through the roof.

“What we’ve seen is people hoarding ammo like, well if I’m never able to get it again I’m going to buy all I can right now,” said Folmar.

Some public officials like Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd have even encouraged citizens to use firearms to protect their homes from looters.

“I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their gun,” said Judd.

And Representative Anthony Sabatini Tweeted a photo of an AR-15 as a warning to those who attempt to damage businesses.

Democratic State Senator Oscar Braynon is worried the rhetoric combined with more gun ownership could be a recipe for disaster.

“There’s so many things that can go wrong with ‘new gun ownership’, I guess you could call it, and them encouraging that is only putting people in a worse position,” said Braynon.

Violent protests have largely deescalated over the past few days in Florida, but gun sales in May were up 75 percent nationwide and in many cities tensions remain high.

Former NRA President Marion Hammer told us in a statement, “I suspect the desire to exercise Second Amendment rights and buy firearms will continue as long as people feel the need to be ready to protect themselves and their families.”

After hundreds hit the streets of the state capital this weekend, protests in front of the Capitol building are ongoing.

By early afternoon about 40 protestors were gathered holding signs in support of George Floyd and police reform.

One protestor, Alice, who only gave us her first name, told us she’d expect more people would be at the protests, but they are fearful for their safety.

“We have had a couple of instances. I’m sure that you know about the truck that drove through. We’ve had one of our protestors get attacked on not-protest time. It’s not safe for the people here, so we’re trying to be the voices of those that are scared,” said Alice. “I’m not sure that we’re getting the message through, but I do know that we’re at least waking people up.”

Alice told us she’s been protesting for six days straight and doesn’t expect to stop any time soon.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of Floridians aged 12 to 22 who are concerned about climate change, but the youth are appealing the ruling.

The judge said the issue is political, but the plaintiffs say the politicians are violating their rights.

Delaney Reynolds is one of eight young Floridians named in a lawsuit against the state seeking to force more action to combat climate change.

“I want to be able to live in South Florida when I’m older. I want my kids and grandkids and others in future generations to be able to live here,” said Reynolds, who lives in Miami.

The suit is based on the premise that the right to a clean environment is part of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs argue the state’s energy policy is actively contributing to the demise of the environment.

“Florida gets about less than three percent of their energy from renewables. So because it’s so dominated from fossil fuels it results in very high levels of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Andrea Rodgers Senior Attorney for Our Children’s Trust.

And plaintiffs like Reynolds have seen the effects first hand.

“It didn’t flood when I was younger and now it floods multiple times a year and that’s only going to get worse if we don’t do something about it,” said Reynolds.

However, Circuit Court Judge Kevin Carroll saw it differently and threw out the case before it could go to trial.

He argued the issue was political and should be left to the Legislative and Executive branches to address.

Attorney Guy Burns is also representing the plaintiffs.

He asserts lawmakers have had their chance and action is needed now.

That’s the case they’ll make as legal battle moves to an appellate court.

“It’s time for the third and co-equal branch of government, the judicial system, to step up and require the other two branches of government to stop the conduct that’s violating the constitutional rights of our clients,” said Burns.

Lawyers representing the Governor and the Department of Agriculture have argued there is no constitutional right to a healthy environment, any more than there is a constitutional right to world peace or economic prosperity.

The judge ruled from the bench and has not yet issued put the ruling to ink and paper, but he promised to write his ruling in a way that it could be appealed and wished the young plaintiffs good luck.

The latest figures show the number of people paying rent dropped by almost ten percent from the month of April to the first week of May.

The Governor has extended a moratorium on evictions so renters will not have to face losing their home until at least the first of July.

The Florida Apartment Association reports the number of people paying rent on time has dropped.

“So at the end of April, for conventional apartment units in Florida, we show a 93 percent collection rate. As of May 6th we had 84.1 percent of conventional apartment units had paid their rent,” said Amanda Gill with the association.

Gill told us owners and managers are working with tenants.

“Some of my communities are providing payment plans. Some are offering rent deferment,” said Gill.

Late Monday, just hours before a ban on evictions was set to expire, Governor Ron DeSantis extended the eviction moratorium until July first.

Property Manager Kent Strauss is worried it will send the wrong message.

“Because there is a differentiation between those that lost their jobs and their incomes, to the ones who are still working and are sort of playing the landlord game,” said Strauss.

Senate Democratic Leader Audrey Gibson had urged the Governor to extend the eviction moratorium.

“People need to be in a safe place to live. And not end up homeless,” said Gibson.

Strauss’ company manages about 500 properties for just under 200 owners.

He said only about 30 renters aren’t living up to their responsibilities.

But as more people are going back to work, Strauss told us more people appear are coming forward with at least partial payments as a sign of good faith.

A full picture of rent payments should be available in about a week to ten days.

The state capital was relatively calm Monday after a weekend of protests.

Protestors are seeking answers about three officer involved shootings in the last three months in the capital city.

Just three dozen or so protesters were at the Capitol Monday, following hundreds who spend the weekend there.

They’re demanding justice after three police officer involved shootings in the last three months.

“From the time Michael Johnson died on March 20th of 2020, there has been no legal action or ramifications against anybody who has the position to do so,” said protest organizer Tesia Lisbon.

Windows shattered by protestors on Saturday were boarded up by Monday.

The calmness is far cry from Saturday, when tensions flared after a red pick up truck made it into the center of a marching crowd.

A second video shows the crowd following the truck and officers protecting the driver.

State Attorney Jack Campbell said the incident is still under investigation, combing dozens of video sources for evidence.

“There is some indication from the people who were in the truck that they were being punched. We found some video of the passenger being hit. That would raise a possible self defense claim,” said Campbell.

The cases of the three officer involved shootings are at a standstill.

That’s because they must be reviewed by a grand jury, and the virus has put grand juries on hold until at least July.

Until a grand jury can meet, the officers will remain on paid administrative leave.

Demands for body and dash cam video will also be on hold until the grand jury hears the cases.

No one was seriously injured in the incident with the truck.

Protestors are demanding the driver be arrested.

A new survey by AAA finds 42 percent of Floridians say they’re less likely to evacuate this hurricane season due to fear of the coronavirus.

“Unfortunately you have a lot of people who just don’t want to evacuate. They want to stay home, they feel like they can protect their belongings and you just can’t get them to leave despite official warnings, things like that. And now you add to that concerns about coronavirus,” said Mike Jenkins with AAA.

The survey also found three out of ten Floridians won’t evacuate even if ordered to.

“It’s a deadly call to make,” said former FEMA Director Craig Fugate.

Fugate told us pandemic or no pandemic, people need to heed evacuation orders.

“If you’re in the evacuation zone move to higher ground,” said Fugate.

The messaging from state officials is essentially the same as past years, but they are warning against unnecessary evacuations, like when millions took to the highways to escape Hurricane Irma.

“If your home is a newer home, if your home is safe, stay home. Get ready. Stay off the roads,” said Fugate.

For those who do need to seek shelter, 200 hotels have offered their rooms to evacuees to provide for adequate social distancing.

Shelters are also being told to screen evacuees for COVD-19.

“And taking those steps to identify people who may be at risk, may have been exposed and get them into isolation,” said Fugate.

And the former FEMA Director says now is the time to prepare.

Hurricane supplies are tax free through June 4th.

Fugate also recommends adding gloves, hand sanitizer and masks to your hurricane supply kit this year.

Those items however are not covered under the tax free holiday.

Florida’s Emergency Management Director announced last week the state had a stockpile of 10 million masks, 5 million gloves and 1 million face shields.

The state has also entered into an agreement for 12 million additional face masks to help with shelter operations.