DeSantis: ‘I’m not in a rush’ to reopen state

As unemployment numbers skyrocket, small businesses struggle and neighboring states like Georgia begin their own reopening process, Floridians are left wondering about what plans are in store for the Sunshine

State.

As the total cases of COVID-19 crept up Saturday toward a total of 31,000, Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated a message that has become key to his public appearances as of late: Florida has “flattened the curve.”

State officials reported 306 more confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide, bringing the state total to 30,839.

Citing a recent statewide decline in positive test rates and hospitalizations, the governor earlier this week appointed a task force charged with developing a plan for safely reopening the state. The group, which met for the first time Monday, was given a Friday deadline to come up with a plan, but that group has asked for more input from the state health department and doctors. The task force has also opened a public comment period for Floridians to weigh in.

At a visit to Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston Saturday, DeSantis disclosed some insight into how the state’s reopening will look.

“I’m not in a rush to do anything,” he said. “I’d rather do it right.”

His plan will be similar to that put forth by President Donald Trump in mid-April, but with some variations. For example, DeSantis is “not that keen on” opening up in-person sports, movie theaters and bars but supports allowing elective surgeries and outdoor activities.

“Phase one is a very prudent step forward,” he said.

The reopening, DeSantis clarified Saturday, would be slow and unique to fit certain areas of the state. Miami-Dade officials, for example, have indicated that as overall hospitalizations reach a plateau, stay-at-home orders meant to curb the spread of the virus will remain in place for now, while restrictions will be slowly lifted in consultation with public health experts.

Hundreds of private security guards previously assigned to Hard Rock Stadium are being hired by Miami-Dade’s Parks Department to oversee next week’s planned easing of the two-page order county Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed March 19 that closed all recreational areas, including city and county parks. The plan may serve as a test for the arduous task of delicately unwinding orders across the county that shuttered hotels, beaches, shops and office buildings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The accuracy of the state’s reported confirmed cases, however, has been called into question after University of Miami researchers released a preliminary study Friday indicating that about 6% of Miami-Dade’s population, about 165,000 residents, have antibodies indicating a past infection by the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Meanwhile, some locals are joining in a nationwide chorus to completely reopen the state as soon as possible, though the “Reopen Florida” protest that started in Little Havana and ended at the Freedom Tower in Miami Saturday was lightly attended. Enrique Tarrio, onetime congressional candidate and chairman of the controversial Proud Boys group, organized the event.

Saturday marked the sixth day this week that the number of Florida’s total confirmed cases was fewer than 1,000.

Miami-Dade County, however, topped 11,000 confirmed cases, accounting for nearly a third of Florida’s total count.

South Florida remains at the epicenter of Florida’s cases. As of Saturday morning, the four counties — Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe — accounted for 18,355 of the state’s cases, more than half.

Of the nine new deaths announced Saturday, eight are in Miami-Dade. Other regional counties — Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe — reported no new deaths since Friday night. Details about these newest deaths has not yet been released by health officials

The new deaths bring MiamiDade county’s total to 295 — the highest in the state. The total could be larger, as local tallies kept by the counties have typically exceeded the state’s reported totals.

Florida also saw a jump in the number of employees and residents with the virus at long-term care facilities. The total is now 2,748. More than 34% of those cases are at facilities in MiamiDade and Broward, where the first deaths were announced in March at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale.

As retail, hotel and restaurant layoffs continue to be announced, the numbers on Florida’s official layoff registry are starting to mirror the pattern. After onethird of employees are laid off or furloughed, companies with 100 or more employees are required to file Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications with the state, whose website sometimes lags because of administrative reasons.

As of April 24, the state Department of Economic Opportunity has verified 785,340 unique unemployment claims out of the total 1.9 million that have been filed. Of those, it has paid

166,804 claimants a total of more than $192 million.

Florida nursing homes are pushing to be protected from liability for harm to residents during COVID-19, but the industry’s failure to fully comply with a 2018 law requiring nursing homes to have backup electric generators is getting in the way. The News Service of Florida reports that incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, suggested that compliance with the generator requirement could affect how leaders consider requests for lawsuit protections.

“I would suspect the state would have no mercy on folks who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing or should be doing. And if you are one of the facilities of critical care, you need to get your generators in place. Hurricane season starts June 1,” said Simpson, a member of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force.

A Miami-Dade employee who handles inquiries about coronavirus testing and meal requests tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, prompting the 311 center in Doral to send six more people home from the 110-person office for a 14-day quarantine. After a deep clean Friday, the call center was still open for business.

Last month the county had to send its entire permitting staff home after one worker tested positive. The Kendall office reopened on March 23 but closed again two days later after multiple workers tested positive. The county then had to send home about 400 workers for two weeks of quarantine.

Herald staff writers Doug Hanks, Howard Cohen and Herald business editor Jane Wooldridge contributed to this report.