State health officials report that Florida has seen more than 2.3 million COVID-19 infections and more than 37,500 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. As of last Friday morning, the state division of Emergency Management reports that more than 10 million people in Florida have been vaccinated against the virus, including more than two million people who have received a first dose and more than 8.1 million people who have either completed a two-dose series or who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.The Florida Department of Health data scientist who built the state’s online COVID-19 dashboard is receiving whistleblower status. Rebekah Jones was fired last year after raising questions about the accuracy of pandemic data being reported by the state.Gov. DeSantis says Florida will penalize cruise companies that require proof of vaccination of travelers on board under a new state law, but the federal government says cruise ships need to follow vaccination r
Hello and welcome to Tuesday.
Check the calendar It’s the start of hurricane season. It’s also likely the official start of Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s campaign for governor (unless this has been one drawn-out head fake.)
But let’s start with this Is Gov. Ron DeSantis about to come up with a carve out for cruise lines to get the industry back up and running in Florida?
What’s he has been saying DeSantis has been adamant for months that A) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules that shuttered the cruise industry were wrong, and B) Businesses should not be able to require proof of vaccination for their customers or patrons. Florida has sued to try to remove the current CDC rules that have prevented cruise lines from resuming operations in the United States. That case is now in mediation. (It was supposed to wrap up last week but court files show the mediation session will continue on Tuesday.)