The Florida Roundup

Florida seniors continue to face problems as they try to make appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Florida leaders say they are working hard to vaccinate seniors and other residents, but the state's pandemic response has come under criticism. In turn, Florida officials are pointing fingers at the federal government over a slowdown in the supply of vaccines.

It has been a record-breaking week for new COVID-19 infections in Florida. So far, however, efforts to get vaccines distributed have been confusing and slow.

2020 was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and politics, and oftentimes, the two were intertwined in Florida.

COVID-19 has cost Florida billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs. The virus has hit the state’s biggest industry — tourism — hard.

Physicians and public officials warn infection rates and death tolls are still rising, despite the arrival of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and likely approval of the Moderna vaccine, so Floridians need to keep masking up.

The first round of COVID-19 vaccines could be administered here in Florida next week.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases have continued to rise around the state, surpassing one million infections this week. Despite these numbers, Governor Ron DeSantis says Florida schools will stay open for the rest of the year.

Colleges are working hard to control the spread of COVID-19. But how will the vector of college students on the move this Thanksgiving weekend impact the pandemic, both on campus and off?

As Florida refines its plan to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, Gov Ron DeSantis is facing criticism for his handling of the pandemic.

COVID-19 numbers are, once again, on the rise across Florida. This week, more than 5,000 Floridians received positive test results every day — the highest numbers since early August.

President Donald Trump won Florida and its 29 electoral votes handily this week. 

With less than a week to go before Election Day, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden held rallies Thursday in Tampa, with more Florida rallies scheduled over the weekend with their surrogates. 

Turnout has been strong for early voing in Florida. More than 4.8 million Floridians - a third of the state’s registered voters - had already voted by mail or at the polls by Friday morning.

As COVID-19 cases rise in Florida, state leaders are at odds over how cases and deaths are tracked. The statistics are used to inform policy decisions, such as the state’s phased reopening.

On Monday, which was the deadline to register to vote in Florida,  the state’s voter registration website crashed. Governor Ron DeSantis extended the registration deadline to this past Tuesday at 7 p.m., but voters’ rights groups sued, arguing voters should have more time. 

Late last week, Governor DeSantis reopened the state for business under Phase 3. Among other things, that means that most restaurants and bars can now be open at full capacity. He also eliminated fines against anyone ticketed for breaking local mask orders.

With less than six weeks until Election Day, Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed new legislation outlining stiffer penalties for violent protests.

Four months’ worth of rain fell in just four hours in Pensacola on Wednesday as Hurricane Sally hit the far western portions of Florida. The Category 2 storm resulted in rescue efforts to save Floridians from storm surge and floodwaters. Tens of thousands in the Panhandle remain without power as more rain threatens the area this weekend.

On Friday’s program, we discussed how Florida is preparing to vote in the presidential election during the pandemic. One of the areas we focused on was vote-by-mail.

Thursday night, the Republican National Convention concluded with President Donald Trump accepting the GOP presidential nomination for a second term.

Coronavirus cases are surging in Florida, with more than 89,000 cases and 3,104 reported at the time of this story's publication. 

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday that Florida’s unemployment rate in April was 12.9%, higher than during the Great Recession. 

Governor Ron DeSantis has resisted pressure to shut down the state. Critics say he’s being too timid in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

Health officials in Florida fear the virus is present in nearly two dozen long-term care facilities.

Florida’s COVID-19, Coronavirus, cases are growing, and Floridians are receiving guidance from state public health officials that is sometimes confusing.

The coronavirus is spreading in Florida, with the latest presumptive case reported in Santa Rosa County. Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a public health state of emergency.  On this week’s Roundup we discussed COVID-19 in the Sunshine State and also looked at how the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is shaping up in Florida now that early voting is underway.

This week, the Florida Democratic Party disavowed some controversial comments made by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, their party’s current frontrunner in the presidential race.

Sanders praised Castro’s literacy and health care programs in Cuba, sparking outrage among Cuban exiles here in Florida. Also, recently there has been outrage after young children around the state have been Baker Acted or even arrested.

Florida health officials say they can’t release information about how many people have been tested for COVID-19, the coronavirus, but have confirmed there have been no confirmed cases in the state. On this week's roundup we looked at what listeners need to know about the virus, and the flu this year along with the ongoing fight over Amendment 4.

On Friday's Roundup, we looked at the use of single-use plastics in Florida and the friction between state and local governments over banning single-use items. Also, we covered Floridians who have had their driver’s license suspended due to fines and fees.