The Florida Roundup

This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis leveled a new threat against Florida municipalities, saying that any city or county that requires its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will receive a $5,000 fine per employee.

Thirteen Florida school districts now require students to mask up for school. This comes as Leon County Judge John Cooper has ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot ban mask mandates in public schools.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper today ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates for students in Florida public schools is unconstitutional.

Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates in public schools, four of the five largest public school districts in Florida implemented mask mandates. The only exception is if a doctor provides a note stating a child has a medical reason for not masking up.

COVID cases have surged in Florida in the past few weeks amid a plateau of vaccination rates and the spread of the Delta variant.  

The number of COVID-19 cases in Florida has nearly doubled since last week.

Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings is hoping to take on Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the 2022 election. 

President Joe Biden arrived this week in Surfside, where he met with the first responders and families affected by the Champlain Towers collapse and pledged that the federal government will pick up 100% of the costs of the response to the collapse. 

Early Thursday morning, part of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, near Miami Beach, collapsed.  

Florida residents, more so than in any other state, are facing criminal charges for their participation in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. According to a USA Today analysis, about 1 in 10 people charged for the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have been Floridians. The charges range from being in an unauthorized area to conspiracy and assault of a police officer.

More jobs are returning to Florida as the pandemic-induced recession - which put thousands out of work - comes to an end. However, many companies say that they are having a hard time finding people to fill them.

Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried, who announced her run for governor this week, joined us.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for a new civics curriculum that would prevent critical race theory from being taught in the classroom.

Florida’s new gambling deal (which still has to be approved by the U.S. Department of Interior) would make it the largest state with legal sports betting.

Several controversial new laws passed this year in Florida have already been hit with lawsuits. 

This week, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, announced he’s running for governor in 2022.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced the initial results of the nationwide 2020 population count this week. 

On today’s program, we took a closer look at the continued controversy around Florida’s “anti-riot bill” or HB-1, which Governor DeSantis signed into law on Monday. The bill raises the penalties for violence, burglary, looting and property damage during protests, among other things. 

Supporters say the new law gives added protection to innocent people who might get caught in the crosshairs of violent protests.

Critics say the law contains vague language that could lead to people being arrested while demonstrating peacefully.

On Friday’s program we took a closer look at YouTube's decison to take down a video of Gov. Ron DeSantis and controversial health policy experts. YouTube claimed the video spread misinformation about kids and masks to stop COVID-19.

On Friday’s program we took a closer look at the 60 Minutes piece on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ vaccine rollout and his reaction to it with Marc Caputo of Politico and Joshua Scacco, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida.

On Friday’s program, we took a look at the latest on Florida’s vaccination efforts and the reluctance of some young adults to be vaccinated. Starting Monday, all Florida residents that are age 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination.

Our guests exploring the topic were:

On Friday’s program, we discussed Florida’s pandemic response – and how it measures up to that of other large states - with Dr. Ali Mokdad, Chief Strategy Officer, Population Health, University of Washington.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that Florida will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to all people age 50 and older starting Monday.

On Friday’s program we took a closer look at how COVID-19 vaccines are being administered in Florida with reporters from around the state, including:

On Friday’s program we took a closer look at who is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine - and where to get it - with Julio Ochoa of WUSF and Nicole Darden Creston of WMFE.

On this week’s Florida Roundup: More people across Florida may soon be able to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, and the U.S. Supreme Court hears the Florida-Georgia water war case.

State Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, who oversees Florida’s vaccination distribution, announced earlier this week that he plans to step down in April.

Florida is now a hotspot for the more contagious strain of COVID-19, which originated in the United Kingdom. So far, almost 350 cases have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ self-described top priority for the upcoming legislative session is free speech on social media. 

On Friday's program, we took a closer look at where things stand with the state’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines - as well as the latest on its distribution efforts - with Ben Conarck, who covers health care for the Miami Herald and Stephanie Colombini, who reports on health care news for WUSF in Tampa.

Long-Term Care Facilities and the COVID-19 Vaccine