COVID-19 live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on November 11
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.
First wave of COVID-19 vaccine will need to be rationed. How will Florida decide?
2:40 p.m.: About 3.5 million Floridians, mostly healthcare providers, medically vulnerable and first responders, could be given priority status when the first doses of the long-awaiting coronavirus vaccine arrive in the state, according to a draft report from the Florida Department of Health.
Will the state even get that many doses and if not who decides where the first ones go? Those are some of the many unanswered questions as the state prepares for the first vaccine delivery as early as December.
Read the story here.
Florida adds 5,838 COVID-19 cases, topping 858,000, as state death toll rises to 17,300
2:20 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 5,838 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 858,012. Also, 52 resident deaths were announced, bringing the resident death toll to 17,300.
The Florida Keys’ percent positivity for new cases jumped from 6.07% to 16.39%, according to Florida’s coronavirus Dashboard.
Read the story here.
Florida is a wasteland when it comes to our garbage. And it’s getting worse thanks to COVID
11:35 a.m.: Florida ranked No. 39 in a Best and Worst States for Waste Management survey by Lawn Starter on how the U.S. deals with garbage.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the nation’s growing garbage problem, according to a report in the Tallahassee Democrat in May that looked at a study by a FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professor. This is because more people working from home means more residential garbage and that means more work and stress for trash collectors.
Discarded masks and gloves are also littering parking lots, beaches, neighborhood lawns and roads, and piling up in landfills.
Read the story here.
This restaurant at the Aventura Mall is closed for good due to COVID-19
11:30 a.m.: Grand Lux Café at the mall has closed its doors permanently, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant, owned by Cheesecake Factory Inc., recently filed a WARN Act Notice indicating it will close permanently at the end of 2021.
Learn more here.
Public meetings resuming in Miami-Dade. Letting in the public not so easy
11 a.m.: This week, Miami-Dade’s county commission chambers will open for the first time since March and resume meetings with commissioners seated at a dais divided by six-foot-tall acrylic barriers. The public will still be participating online, with microphones set up one floor below in the lobby of County Hall for comments to be broadcast to commissioners.
In March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an emergency order suspending a state rule requiring government bodies meet in person in order to satisfy quorum requirements. Citing the dangers of COVID-19 infection in close quarters, the governor’s order allowed elected officials to satisfy quorum rules by convening electronically.
That led to months of Zoom government meetings, as DeSantis extended the order under pressure from local elected officials who weren’t eager to resume in-person meetings as the coronavirus pandemic continued. DeSantis’ last extension came in October, and the governor allowed the order to expire Nov. 1. That’s meant a scramble to help elected officials still keep their distances while conducting public business.
Miami Beach is getting creative when it comes to a state requirement that elected officials meet in the same room in order to comply with quorum rules.
Read the full story here.
Uber-driving, COVID-conspiracy sports blogger joins DeSantis data team
10: 20 a.m.: When Gov. Ron DeSantis needed to hire a data analyst, his staff picked a little-known Ohio sports blogger and Uber driver whose only relevant experience is spreading harmful conspiracy theories about COVID-19 on the Internet.
In his own words, Kyle Lamb of Columbus, Ohio, has few qualifications for the job at the state’s Office of Policy and Budget, which pays $40,000 per year.
“Fact is, I’m not an ‘expert.’ I’m not a doctor, epidemiologist, virologist or scientist,” Lamb wrote on a website for a subscribers-only podcast he hosts about the coronavirus. “I also don’t need to be. Experts don’t have all the answers, and we’ve learned that the hard way.”
Plucked from the obscurity of the blogosphere, Lamb, 40, broadcasts his lack of scientific training in his theories about the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
Need a COVID-19 test? Some sites are still closed after Eta
9:30 a.m.: While some COVID-19 testing sites in South Florida have reopened after shutting down for Tropical Storm Eta preparations, others remain closed because of flooding or other storm-related issues, including the Hard Rock Stadium site in Miami Gardens.
Some of the state supported testing sites that have reopened in Miami-Dade include the Miami Beach Convention Center at 1901 Convention Center Dr. in Miami Beach and Amelia Earhart Park at 401 East 65th St. in Hialeah.
In Broward County, some of the sites that have reopened include C.B. Smith Park at 900 N Flamingo Rd. in Pembroke Pines and the Miramar Youth Enrichment Center at 7000 Miramar Pkwy.
While the COVID-19 test site closures were in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, there also were some shutdowns in Lee County.
A hurricane watch for Eta was issued for parts of Florida’s west coast Wednesday, with the storm forecast to make its second landfall in the state Thursday. This means other COVID-19 test sites across the state will likely shut down for storm preparations soon.
To see if a test site near you is open, closed or to keep track of closures as Eta nears, visit https://www.floridadisaster.org/covid19/testing-sites/
And in case you’re wondering, Hard Rock Stadium’s COVID-19 test site is expected to reopen Thursday, according to Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 Testing webpage.
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 4,353 coronavirus cases, topping 850,000, as 69 deaths push toll past 17,200
▪ Some COVID-19 test sites will reopen after Eta passes. Flooding will keep a few closed
▪ Is Florida the nation’s test case for COVID-19 herd immunity?
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 9:51 AM.
