Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on September 30
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day.
3 people who work at a Miami courthouse have COVID-19. Here’s who needs to self-monitor
6 p.m.: Wednesday, self-monitoring notices were issued from the Miami-Dade County Courthouse in the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building after three people who work there tested positive for COVID-19.
For those who have been in the building, at 1351 NW 12th St. in Miami, here’s what you need to know.
When the ill people were there over the last two weeks: One person was there Thursday, Sept. 17 and Monday through Friday, last week. The second person was there Monday, Sept. 14 through Thursday, Sept. 17 and Monday, Sept. 21 through Friday. The third person was there Monday.
Read the full story here.
Florida prisons, among nation’s deadliest, didn’t like ‘demanding’ watchdog. He’s gone
4 p.m.: The inspector general for Florida’s Department of Corrections, the official in charge of rooting out brutality and corruption in one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems, has been replaced.
Inspector General Lester Fernandez, on the job since June 6, 2016, had rubbed people in high-ranking positions the wrong way. They called him incompetent, said he wrongfully believed the department had a “culture of corruption,” complained he had a foul temperament and charged he was out to “get” some in top management, including the former head of the department, the state’s largest with approximately 24,000 employees.
One accused him of playing “cops and robbers,” though the inspector general is, in fact, a law officer. His exit, though voluntary, came under pressure from the top.
Read the full story here.
Florida reports nearly 200 new COVID-19 deaths and almost 2,000 new cases
2:30 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 1,948 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 706,516. Also, 172 Florida resident deaths were announced, bringing the resident death toll to 14,315.
One new non-resident death was also announced, bringing the non-resident toll to 171 for the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.
The state’s positive test rate edged over 5% on the results reported Wednesday, but continued a slow skid downward. For the last seven days reported, the average daily positive test rate is 4.43% compared to 4.73% for the previous seven days.
Read the full story here.
‘It’s going to be on them’: Florida businesses have to adapt to no state COVID rules
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1 p.m: Amanda Cachaldora and her family were sitting at a corner booth inside a Flanigan’s restaurant in Hialeah Saturday afternoon when they noticed the indoor dining space started to fill up fast.
Uncomfortable, Cachaldora watched as more and more customers were seated at tables that minutes earlier had been blocked off with a “reserved” sign to keep people at a distance because of the coronavirus.
The family decided to move outside, and requested to speak to a manager.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, but what’s happening here?’ ” Cachaldora recalled. “He told me DeSantis said there were no more restrictions and that they could seat people wherever they wanted. He was very brusque about it.”
A day earlier, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping order that lifted all state restrictions on businesses, including provisions that let some restaurants have full dining rooms again. It also gutted the ability of municipalities to penalize people who violate social-distancing guidelines.
Read the full story here.
Mask fines are gone. Do you still need to wear one in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys?
11:30 a.m.: Masks have been the law in South Florida for months.
Everyone has been required to wear one in public, both inside and outside, to help protect others from COVID-19. Those who didn’t could face a hefty fine.
Then on Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order, which among other things, allowed bars and nightclubs to reopen in Florida, including in Miami-Dade and Broward, the two counties hit hardest by the disease.
His order also suspended fines and fees tied to local COVID-19 mitigation efforts, including the mask fines in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys. Local officials were left scrambling to figure out what the order meant for COVID-19 related enforcement measures.
Are you still required to wear a mask to help reduce the novel coronavirus spread?
Yes, Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties are still requiring people to wear a mask. The difference is that officials can no longer fine you for not wearing one. At least, that was the idea. But things change.
Read the full story here.
ICE reverses COVID-19 measure, says it will resume arresting non-criminal migrants
11 a.m.: U.S. immigration officials quietly announced they would resume regular apprehension and detention practices, an apparent reversal from an earlier temporary suspension of non-criminal enforcement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late Friday afternoon, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement updated its COVID-19 information webpage to say that the agency is “confident that our officers can properly and safely carry out operations.”
The announcement — which was not sent out to media outlets, a break in the usual protocol — replaced an agency statement that ICE publicly announced in March, when it said it would “adjust its enforcement posture.”
Read the full story here.
Under legal pressure, Florida releases names of schools with COVID-19 cases
10:35: a.m.: A month after Florida schools reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic, state officials revealed for the first time on Tuesday evening a state report that details school-related COVID-19 data.
The school-specific data was released by the Florida Department of Health after a coalition of news organizations threatened to sue Gov. Ron DeSantis for violating the state public records law.
DeSantis’ administration refused to release the information after numerous requests over a month-long span. State health officials shared the data with local school officials but told them they considered the information confidential.
The report’s publication also comes about a month after the Florida Department of Health accidentally released a copy of a report on COVID-19 outbreaks at schools across the state, from daycare centers to colleges, which found that nearly 900 students and staffers had tested positive during a two-week period in August as schools had just begun or readied to reopen. The report was quickly wiped away a day later.
A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health told the Miami Herald at the time that the report, which Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees requested, was not supposed to be publicized yet and was still in the process of being reviewed.
Now, about month later, the Florida Department of Health has published a new school-related COVID-19 report. The report, released Tuesday evening, gives a limited picture of the number of COVID-19 cases tied to schools because it only includes data stretching between Sept. 6 and Sept. 26. The list is also missing some schools.
Read the full story here.
Working around DeSantis: Miami-Dade won’t halt mask citations, even with fees frozen
10:15 a.m.: Going out without a mask in Miami-Dade County still could cost you a $100 fine — someday.
Days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis upended some of the county’s strictest COVID rules, Mayor Carlos Gimenez laid out his plan to continue cracking down on the nightlife industry and require people to cover their faces.
Even though a Friday order by DeSantis prevents local governments from collecting fines from individuals cited for violating COVID rules, Gimenez said the county would keep issuing mask citations and pursue the $100 fines once the governor’s freeze expires.
“We have to continue to wear masks in public places — indoors and out,” Gimenez said during an online press conference. “The enforcement will continue countywide.”
The statewide changes by DeSantis, including provisions letting some restaurants have full dining rooms again, took the Gimenez administration by surprise. Gimenez told reporters he still hasn’t spoken to DeSantis about the changes, with the governor’s chief of staff left to brief the mayor of Florida’s most populous county on the state’s decision.
Read the full story here.
Miami schools will begin their staggered reopenings on Monday
9:30 a.m.: After several hours-long meetings and votes and revotes, Miami-Dade County Public Schools will begin its staggered reopening of schools on Monday with all students who wish to be back in class by Friday, Oct. 9.
The School Board voted last week for schools to open later in October, citing concerns about school preparedness. But a letter from Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran cornered the school district to follow its original reopening plan from July, calling for an Oct. 5 reopening, or face budget shortfalls of anywhere from $54 million to $85 million.
After 7 p.m. Tuesday, the School Board voted unanimously on the new timeline with many caveats.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9:30 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Wednesday begins.
▪ Florida adds more than 3,000 coronavirus cases as Miami-Dade’s known total hits 170,000
▪ Surge of rapid tests coming soon for Florida’s seniors and students, DeSantis says
▪ Cops break up huge party of over 1,000 people at off-campus housing at FSU
▪ ‘Why are we pretending it’s all over?’ Miami restaurants wrestle with new COVID rules
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 9:48 AM.
