#parent | #kids | #babysister | #nanny | The looming budget breakdown — DeSantis misspeaks on South Florida lockdown — Scary coronavirus projections for Florida


Hello and welcome to Tuesday.

The daily rundown Between Sunday night and Monday night, the number of coronavirus cases in Florida increased 15.2 percent, to 5,704; hospitalizations went up 12.9 percent, to 715; and deaths rose 18.3 percent, to 71.

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Counting exercise Florida has already spent in excess of $150 million (and growing) combating this outbreak, where more than $100 million has come from the state’s estimated $1.9 billion rainy day fund. Coronavirus is likely to keep going up. And at the same time, the tax used to pay for everything in state government are probably dropping like a stone.

A dollar here, a dollar there We don’t have a good idea yet how deep this can — and will — go. But so far the state has not put the brakes on spending in this year’s budget. That’s worrisome to Alex Sink, the state’s former chief financial officer who was on the job when the Great Recession hit. She says someone needs to worry about paying the bills. And the state needs to tally what it has now so it can curtail spending. Or, in her words: “Who’s counting the f— paper clips?”

Forecast time — Current CFO Jimmy Patronis has been pushing to take stock of the situation and has asked for state economists to start drawing up estimates as soon as possible. That move would jumpstart the process of spelling out when and who must cut the budget, including whether a special session would be needed. Meredith Beatrice, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, maintains the governor’s office is watching and “is considering additional measures.” Yep. This is just the beginning of what could be a long summer.

— WHERE’S RON? — Nothing official has been announced for Gov. DeSantis but he has been routinely holding press conferences during the coronavirus outbreak.

Tune in Wednesday, April 1 at 9 a.m. ET as Matt Dixon and Gary Fineout host a Playbook Reporter Briefing on the biggest moments of the week in Florida on the coronavirus pandemic and other political news. Be sure to register.

ADD IT UP — “Time to count the paper clips? Damage to Florida budget is still uncalculated,” by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: The outbreak has been likened to a silent hurricane, but the damage to the state’s current $91 billion budget from this noiseless storm remains undocumented and, as of yet, barely acknowledged in Tallahassee. But policymakers might soon have to act whether they’re ready to or not. Triggers built into state law could soon force them to make tough decisions about where to cut spending as the coronavirus response eats up state reserves and chews away at tax revenue.

COUNTER MOVE — “Moody fires back over domestic violence coalition,” by News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam: “Attorney General Ashley Moody is asking a circuit judge to reject an attempt by former Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Tiffany Carr and a foundation that supports the organization to undo an order putting the coalition under the authority of a receiver. Carr and the foundation are “nothing but kibitzers, seeking to insert their views into a matter that does not concern them,” Moody’s lawyers wrote on Friday.”

OOPS — “DeSantis says he misspoke: South Florida to stay home until April 15, not May 15,” by Miami Herald’s Samantha J. Gross: “Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday morning that those living in Southeast Florida should stay home until mid-May to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. He would sign an executive order, he said, urging those in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties to stay home…Then, later at the press conference in Palm Beach County, DeSantis clarified that he meant April 15, not mid-May, for an end date to what he called the “safer at home” order for millions of residents. When asked why the error wasn’t immediately corrected, a spokeswoman for the governor said neither she nor anyone else caught it, and the end date for the order wasn’t in his notes.”

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN — “Orange Mayor Jerry Demings says he will likely extend stay-at-home order and says he’s frustrated by ‘partisan’ state response,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Stephen Hudak: “Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings will likely extend and, potentially toughen, a “stay-at-home” order beyond April 9 and called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to infuse more leadership and less politics into the state’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic… Demings, a Democrat, said DeSantis stood in stark contrast to former Gov. Rick Scott, now a U.S. senator. While both Scott and DeSantis are Republicans, Demings said Scott communicated regularly to city and county officials.”

TURN BACK — “DeSantis to cruise ship: Stay away,” by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that a Holland America ship headed to South Florida should not be allowed to dock with sick patients on board. DeSantis said Trump administration officials, as well as the Coast Guard, also are opposed to the ship docking in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades.

‘IT’S PRETTY COMPLEX’ — “This pro-Trump coastal community in Florida, hit early by virus, sits at emotional nexus of national debate over reopening economy amid health crisis,” by Washington Post’s Cleve R. Wootson Jr.: “The pandemic-related deaths jolted a region that boasts low crime, paradise-like weather and 50 miles of white-sand beaches — a year-round vacation destination that city leaders admit can feel immune to the problems that plague other places. Now, weeks into the crisis, Fort Myers sits at the emotional nexus of a growing — and increasingly politicized — national debate over what to do next.”

— “No shelter-in-place order for Lee County; Fort Myers Beach enacts 90-day ban on hotel stays,” by News-Press’ Bill Smith

TROUBLING TRENDLINE — “Coronavirus Florida: Deaths projected to hit 6,766 deaths by August,” by Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: “Florida currently has just 63 COVID-19 deaths, but a disturbing new analysis predicts the death toll will rise to 6,766 by Aug. 4. The analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington under the direction of professor Chris Murray also predicts that Florida will face a peak shortage of 843 intensive care unit hospital beds.”

STAY PUT — “The state wanted Keys checkpoints removed. But they’re staying for COVID-19, county says,” by FLKeysNews’ Gwen Filosa and David Goodhue: “Bureaucratic drama continued Monday over two checkpoints Monroe County put up Friday to keep non-residents out of the Florida Keys to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. They’re still staying put, however. But they are only standing after the county objected to a direct order from the state to do away with them.”

JARED THE TROLL — “Florida emergency management chief blasts ‘black market’ for masks,” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: Florida’s top disaster management official blasted what he called a protective mask “ponzi scheme” that has emerged as demand skyrockets amid the spread of coronavirus. Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said a cumbersome web of brokers has popped up, creating logistical hurdles for states, who are competing against each other in the search for the N95 masks needed by medical professionals and other responders… Moskowitz took to Twitter to go after 3M, which produces N95 masks, responding to a company tweet touting the fact it has doubled its global mask production. “I’m your new Troll. I’m Director of Emergency Management for the State of Florida @FLSERT,” Moskowitz tweeted.

WHO’S IN CHARGE? — “Crowded beaches, confusion amid coronavirus orders as DeSantis won’t mandate statewide lockdown,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Gray Rohrer: “As Gov. Ron DeSantis has resisted calls from health officials and elected leaders in coronavirus hotspots like South Florida to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, a hodgepodge of rules has emerged from local governments, causing widespread confusion and conflicting messages from leaders within the same region. And in some cases, there has been outright disregard for the social distancing suggestions DeSantis has preached.”

CRUNCH TIME — “DeSantis under pressure to improve Florida’s unemployment compensation system,” by USA Today’s John Kennedy: Gov. Ron DeSantis drew heightened pressure Monday to improve the state’s unemployment compensation system, whose already challenging online application process has been overwhelmed by thousands of suddenly jobless Floridians.

PLEASE TELL US — “AARP seeks answers about COVID-19 infections,” by News Service of Florida’s Christine Sexton: “As the number of residents in long-term care facilities with COVID-19 continues to increase, AARP’s Florida director has asked state officials to explain why they are keeping the names of the facilities from the public. AARP Director Jeff Johnson sent a letter to Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew on Monday asking the state to provide any federal guidance it is relying on to withhold the names of the facilities that housed 66 long-term care residents who have tested positive for the highly contagious and deadly respiratory disease.”

GAPS — “Local testing numbers unclear; hospitals don’t report all tests to state,” by Daytona Beach News Journal’s Nikki Ross: “With coronavirus tests in short supply, reporting discrepancies from state agencies and local hospitals make it difficult to tell just how many people in Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties have been tested for the virus.”

MORE PLEASE — “Demand for coronavirus tests spikes even as more tests become available,” by Sun Sentinel’s Mario Ariza: “Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday morning the state of Florida has completed 50,000 coronavirus tests, mostly in the past two weeks. Contrast that with the 330,000 calls that came in just six hours on Monday from people seeking tests at the new Palm Beach County site, and it quickly becomes apparent that the demand for testing far outstrips the supply, and the supply, say experts, needs to grow by a lot.”

SCHOOL’S OUT — “Florida public schools too remain closed until May,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey Solochek: “The day after President Trump extended his social distancing guidelines through April 30, Florida’s education commissioner on Monday called on school districts to remain closed until May 1.The move applies to district and charter schools.”

MEANWHILE — “Rocky start to Florida schools’ first official day of online learning during pandemic,” by Miami Herald’s Colleen Wright: “Students across the state on Monday had rockier starts with online learning. Because these online learning platforms are used by schools across the nation, and are working to quickly build capacity, schools across Florida reported crashes and glitches while learning. By 10 a.m., Broward County Public Schools sent out automated phone calls and district-wide emails notifying families of the platform outages. Students were asked to try logging on later.”

WHAT? — “Pastor arrested for violating rules amid virus outbreak,” by Associated Press’s Tamara Lush and Chris O’Meara: “Florida officials have arrested the pastor of a megachurch after detectives say he held two Sunday services with hundreds of people and violated a safer-at-home order in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. According to jail records, Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne turned himself in to authorities Monday afternoon in Hernando County, where he lives. He was charged with unlawful assembly and violation of a public health emergency order. Bail was set at $500, according to the jail’s website.”

SCHOOL’S OUT — “Florida public schools too remain closed until May,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey Solochek: “The day after President Trump extended his social distancing guidelines through April 30, Florida’s education commissioner on Monday called on school districts to remain closed until May 1.The move applies to district and charter schools.”

WHO WANTS TO KNOW? — “As coronavirus breaches Florida juvenile justice staff, even judges kept in the dark,” by Miami Herald’s Carol Marbin Miller: “When a boy from Fort Lauderdale’s juvenile lockup appeared in court wearing a protective mask and exhibiting symptoms of the flu, judges and public defenders wanted to know what precautions, if any, Florida juvenile justice administrators were taking to ensure that youthful offenders have not been exposed to the deadly coronavirus. In what has become a familiar pattern, state leaders would offer little information or comfort — even to judges who oversee juvenile court.”

CAN’T LEAVE — “Tampa native traveled to Peru when coronavirus hit. Now quarantined, he can’t get out,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Paul Guzzo: “Zachary Meckstroth and four friends arrived in Peru with their sights set on hiking to the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Instead, due to the outbreak of coronavirus there, the 28-year-old Tampa native turned Orlando resident and his buddies are quarantined inside a Cusco, Peru hostel where two occupants have been diagnosed with the disease.”

— “Jacksonville mayor restricts hotel bookings,” by Florida Times-Union’s Christopher Hong

— “‘Overwhelmed’ by COVID-19: Treasure Coast could become like NYC, Cleveland Clinic exec warns,” by Treasure Coast Newspapers Joshua Solomon:

— “St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman warns: Social distancing or citation,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Josh Solomon

— “Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, Disney extend cruise cancellations amid COVID-19 pandemic,” by Miami Herald’s Taylor Dolven

— “Good, Buchanan urge officials to help COVID-19 cruise passengers. Four live in Sarasota,” by Bradenton Herald’s Ryan Callihan

— “Big Bend counties get F grades for coronavirus distancing, cell phone data shows,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeff Burlew

— “Raymond James Stadium to re-open for testing,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Caitlin Johnston

LOWING COST — “Orange Democrats want to change candidate signature requirements amid coronavirus outbreak,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello: “The chair of the Orange County Democrats is asking Gov. DeSantis to waive or reduce the state’s signature petition requirements for candidates because of the coronavirus outbreak.”

ELECTION TIME — “Ocala city council seeks mail-in runoff election,” by Ocala Star Banner’s Carlos E. Medina: “The Ocala City Council will ask the state to allow mail-in only votes for the May 19 District 2 runoff election. The council voted 4-0 during a special meeting, held Monday via online video conference, to send a letter to the Florida Division of Elections and Gov. Ron DeSantis asking to keep physical polling places closed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

— “Bernie Sanders unofficial campaign office in Lake Worth Beach is vandalized,” by Palm Beach Post’s Jorge Milian

WAIT, 8X? — Florida Sen. Rick Scott had some interesting math Monday for Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade: @Kilmeade: “@SenRickScott called in to #TheBrianKilmeadeShow & urged the state and federal gov. to work together to get more testing kits to the state of FL as soon as possible, saying FL could have as many as 8x the number of #coronavirus cases as has been reported.”

SAIL AWAY — “Florida lawmakers push for cruise line bailout,” by POLITICO’s Tanya Snyder: The cruise industry got the cold shoulder in the third coronavirus recovery bill, but a set of Florida lawmakers are pushing for the industry, which largely is headquartered overseas, to get federal assistance in the next round. “We strongly oppose any efforts that would unfairly target or hurt this important industry and urge you to provide the same level of support to the workers in this industry that is being provided to every other American worker,” wrote 15 Florida lawmakers, led by Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) in a letter to congressional leaders last week.

REMEMBER ME? Joseph Bondy, the attorney representing Lev Parnas, has started a new “DailyTriviaChallenge” where he asks people online to identify who is in pictures with the indicted former Rudy Giuliani ally. The picture Bondy tweeted out on Monday evening was one showing Parnas standing next to Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis at what appears to be DeSantis’ inauguration ball. He tagged it #PhotoswithLev and #LevRemembers.

ROAD TO NOWHERE? — “Judge rules against $1 billion 836 extension, cites ‘meager’ traffic improvement,” by Miami Herald’s Adriana Brasileiro and Douglas Hanks: “Opponents of a proposed $1 billion highway extension through wetlands in western Miami-Dade won a legal victory Monday when an administrative judge rejected the planned southwest route for State Road 836, citing uncertain impacts on Everglades preservation and ‘meager’ improvements of traffic congestion.”

SOME BAD NEWS — “Tampa Bay Times print edition scaled back,” by News Service of Florida: “The Tampa Bay Times, long one of Florida’s largest and most-influential newspapers, announced Monday it will scale back to producing print editions only on Wednesdays and Sundays, beginning next week. The Times will continue publishing seven days a week online. In a note to subscribers, Chairman and CEO Paul Tash pointed to the novel coronavirus, writing that “while we are in the depths of this pandemic, we simply cannot afford to produce the ink-and-paper version every day.”

— “Gannett announces furloughs and pay cuts as Black Monday continues for Florida journalism,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski

SOME GOOD NEWS — “Gulf Power Co. customers could get break on bills in May,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders: “Hundreds of thousands of Northwest Florida residents and businesses could get a break on their electric bills in May, after Gulf Power Co. announced a plan Monday to pass along savings from lower-than-expected natural gas costs. The Pensacola-based utility wants to make a change that would chop bills in May, as customers struggle with the novel coronavirus. Gulf made the announcement hours after a sister company, Florida Power & Light, unveiled a similar plan.”

PLEASE LEAVE — “Maduro should take U.S. offer to negotiate his exit from Venezuela, Trump official says,” by El Nuevo Herald’s Nora Gamez Torres: “Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, recently accused of drug trafficking by the United States, should learn from history and accept an offer by the Trump administration to negotiate his exit, a senior official of the Donald Trump administration said Monday. ‘History shows that those who do not cooperate with U.S. law enforcement agencies do not fare well,’ the official said in a call with journalists. ‘Maduro probably regrets not taking the offer six months ago. We urge Maduro not to regret not taking it now.’”

— “Tiger King hype prompts Hillsborough County Sheriff to re-up Don Lewis disappearance investigation,” by Florida Politics’ Janelle Irwin Taylor: As Americans everywhere are obsessing over the new Netflix docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is reviving the question: What the heck happened to Jack “Don” Lewis?

— “Coronavirus scare leads to Florida man’s arrest on a hoax weapon of mass destruction charge,” by Fox News’ Robert Gearty: A coronavirus scare at a Florida business has led to the arrest of a man with facial tatoos on a use of a hoax weapon of mass destruction charge. David White, 50, was arrested after deputies showed up at the Jacksonville business Sunday afternoon for a report of a COVID-19 contamination incident.

— “Coronavirus in Florida: Palm Beach police: 5 arrested after they tried to get on closed beach,” by Palm Beach Post’s Adriana Delgado

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — First Lady Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday the birth of their third child. In a tweet, Casey DeSantis wrote that “Ron and I are beyond blessed to welcome our new baby girl, Mamie to the world. At 7 lbs 4 oz she was the smallest of the bunch, but she is already holding her own. Madison and Mason are so excited for their new baby sister!”

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