As North Florida remains the national hot spot for COVID-19 infections, the Jacksonville group Doctors Fighting Covid says the state is failing to fight the virus effectively.
Broward and Alachua counties defied Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran by continuing to enforce a mask mandate. The state officials say they will take “all legal steps to enforce rules” including sanctioning Alachua County Superintendent Carlee Simon.
Doctors Fighting COVID delivered a letter to the Florida Board of Education before their Tuesday meeting stating their “grave concern about the level of viral infection in [the] community, especially as it pertains to schools.”
Dr. Nancy Staats, a Jacksonville physician and a member of Doctors Fighting COVID, joined us with more.
'Too Hot To Work'
A new report published by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that the Sunshine State is getting too hot for outside workers. The soaring temperatures affect workers across dozens of industries, especially Black and Latinx workers.
Rachel Licker, Ph.D., a Senior Climate Scientist with UCS told us more about the research.
Hurricane Preparedness
It is hurricane season in Florida, and while it has been a quiet season so far, ServPro says hurricane preparedness is key.
Chris Ryan, ServPro’s Project Manager, and Pauline Gerry, Director of Marketing and Business Development, shared their top tips for hurricane season.
Girls Inc.
Darlene Vaughn is Girls Inc. of Jacksonville’s new CEO. She takes over the organization after working as an Executive Director at Communities in Schools of Indiana.
Vaughn told us more about why she says now, more than ever, we need to support girls in our community.
What’s Good Wednesday
- Jacksonville Beach surfer Kayla Durden appeared on the ABC hit The Ultimate Surfer. Durden told us what we can expect from her episode, which is set to air next week.
- The Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra, along with the OneJax Institute, is stepping up to feed our frontline workers. Nocatee Resident Bob Wiltfong and other Rotary members helped organize pizza deliveries to Baptist South last night. Wiltfong says more deliveries are planned and encourages his community to donate to the cause.
- Creator and Producer JoAnne C. Maffia’s full-length documentary “The making of’ Hammer & Rain: Reflections Through Time” premiers online next Tuesday, August 23rd. The film focuses on the collaboration between a composer and five choreographers and dancers all over 50. Maffia brought her vision to life after receiving an Art Ventures Grant last year.
First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Associate Producer Katherine Hobbs can be reached at khobbs@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
