DeSantis cites progress, optimism for COVID outbreak in Central Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis said there is reason to be optimistic about the coronavirus numbers in Florida.

That’s particularly true, he added, if you live in Central Florida.

“If you look at how the epidemic has unfolded, it’s not unfolded evenly across the state. Quite frankly, I think Central Florida, as we get into the next month, is probably in pretty good shape based on the trends I see. That’s what I hope,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Apopka.

He said Orange County, home of Orlando and Disney World, and some adjacent counties have seen the rate of positive cases “stabilize and decline.” That’s a good sign, DeSantis said.

“I think it’s going to decline a lot more.”

According to the Tampa Bay Times analysis of county level data, Orange County has reported about a 15% positive rate for the past week. That is indeed down from its peak of 20% in early July.

However, 15% is still a figure that indicates the disease is spreading throughout the community, health experts say.

Osceola and Seminole counties have also been reporting positivity rates of more than 15% for essentially all of July.

In nearby Brevard County, the picture is a little brighter. That county’s positive rate has stayed around 10% since late June, according to the Times analysis.

The hardest hit area of the state has been Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, which has reported positive rates over 25% for most of July.

Hospitals are filling up in South Florida and in the Tampa Bay area. However, the governor said Friday the state has enough capacity to handle this surge in cases.

Some have called into question the state’s percent positive figures because of incorrect reporting of some small lab results. However, DeSantis has said the discrepancies can be explained by the reporting practices of individual labs. He’s said the state’s data is an accurate indication of the disease’s prevalence.

Orange County has been one of the hardest hit counties in the state by the coronavirus. In total, the county has reported over 22,000 positive tests and over 100 deaths.

DeSantis’ prediction of positive coronavirus trends, at least in Central Florida, came at an important time for that part of the state. Disney World, along with other amusement parks, has begun reopening. Teams from the National Basketball Association have begun reporting to an isolated “bubble” campus at Disney World to play the remainder of the league’s season, which was suspended in March.

DeSantis welcomed the NBA’s move in May, arguing Americans need the distraction provided by sports as they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across the state, Florida reported 11,466 new coronavirus infections Friday, and 130 new deaths. The percent of positive cases statewide was about 12%.

Tampa Bay Times data reporter Eli Murray contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 4:44 PM.