COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
 | This article needs to be updated. (April 2022) |
| COVID-19 pandemic in Florida | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Florida, U.S. |
| Index case | Hillsborough County, Manatee County[1] |
| Arrival date | March 1, 2020[1] |
| Confirmed cases | 7,574,590[2] |
| Hospitalized cases | 95,210[i] |
Deaths | 86,850[4] |
| Fatality rate | |
| Government website | |
| floridahealthcovid19.gov | |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|
 |
|
.svg){kind=small} COVID-19 portal |
On March 1, 2020, the U.S. state of Florida officially reported its first two COVID-19 cases in Manatee and Hillsborough counties. There is evidence, however, that community spread of COVID-19 first began in Florida much earlier, perhaps as early as the first week of January,[6] with as many as 171 people in Florida who had shown symptoms now identified with COVID-19, prior to receiving confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By March 11, the CDC saw evidence to conclude that community spread of the virus had occurred within the state.[7]
On April 1, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to restrict activities within the state to those deemed as essential services.[8] By June 2020, DeSantis had adopted a more targeted approach to the pandemic, declaring in mid-June that,
"We're not shutting down, we're gonna go forward, we're gonna continue to protect the most vulnerable....particularly when you have a virus that disproportionately impacts one segment of society, to suppress a lot of working-age people at this point I don't think would likely be very effective."[9]
That targeted approach was similar to what the Great Barrington Declaration would recommend later in October.[10] DeSantis got vaccinated voluntarily against COVID-19 and expressed enthusiasm for people getting their shots, but he has also opposed forcing people to do it.[11]
On September 25, 2020, Florida lifted all remaining capacity restrictions on businesses, while also prohibiting local governments from enforcing public health orders with fines, or restricting restaurants to less than 50% capacity.[12][13][14] According to the federal Center for Disease Control, life expectancy during 2020 dropped in Florida to 77.5 years, down from 79 years in 2019; that fall of 1.5 years in Florida compared to a nationwide fall of 1.8 years, "mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries," with those unintentional deaths being mostly attributable to drug overdoses.[15][16][17]
As of September 16, 2021[update], the Florida Department of Health had reported 3,485,163 COVID-19 cases[ii] and 51,240 deaths[iii] among residents of the state.[18][5] Since the start of the pandemic through November 2022, 324 in 100,000 Floridians died of COVID-19.[19] As of December 2021, among all US states Florida had the eighth-highest per capita case rate.[19] As of July 2021, one in every five new COVID-19 cases recorded in the United States came from Florida.[20] Vaccines have been administered in Florida since December 14, 2020. As of May 2, 2021[update], Florida has administered 15,488,105 COVID-19 vaccine doses with 42% of the population having received at least one shot and 30% of the population being fully vaccinated.[21]
Since 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis has placed restrictions on the use of COVID-19 mitigations by local governments and private businesses via executive order; the state has expressly voided and restricted any future restrictions imposed by local governments, prohibited any mandate applying to COVID-19 vaccines (including COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry or employment), and has controversially prohibited local governments and school boards from mandating that face masks be worn at schools—a policy which resulted in legal disputes.
As of Tuesday, April 19, 2022, more than 14,342,000 people had been fully vaccinated in Florida. On that date, the state had logged at least 5,888,264 cases and 73,738 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.[22]
On February 15, 2023, the Florida Department of Health published a safety alert from the State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo warning of "a novel increase" in adverse event reports related to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.[23]
Timeline
[edit] | This section needs to be updated. (August 2021) |
 |
Initial cases (January–May 2020)
[edit]February 29, 2020: Florida state health laboratories in Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami are able to process COVID-19 tests locally rather than sending them to federal labs, cutting processing time from 3–5 days to 1–2 days.[24]
March 1: Florida becomes the tenth state to confirm its first COVID-19 cases: one in Manatee County, and one in Hillsborough County with a woman who had recently returned from Italy.[25]
March 3: The Florida Department of Health sets up a 24-hour COVID-19 hotline.[26] A third presumptive positive case in Hillsborough County is reported.[27][28]
March 5: A new case is announced involving an elderly man with severe underlying health conditions in Santa Rosa County who had recently traveled outside the United States.[29] The Department of Health announces three new cases late on March 6, two in Broward County and one in Lee County. Officials also announce two deaths.[30]
March 8: Publix starts to limit the amount of certain items per customer because some shoppers began to hoard items like toilet paper and other essential items.[31]
March 9: Florida House members announce that five members attended a conference with infected COVID-19 participants.[32] Governor DeSantis declares a State of Emergency.[33] Princess Cruises terminates a planned stop of the cruise ship Caribbean Princess in Grand Cayman after it was discovered that two of its crew members had recently transferred from Grand Princess in California.[34] The cruise ship is ordered to anchor off the coast of Fort Lauderdale while its passengers and crew could be tested for COVID-19. Furthermore, a fourth Princess Cruises cruise ship, Regal Princess, is placed on a "no sail order" off the Florida coast after it was discovered that two of its crew members had recently transferred from Grand Princess in California.[35][36]
March 11: UF Health Shands Hospital confirm they are treating their first patient with a case of COVID-19, but decline to say whether it was the same person who tested positive for the virus earlier in the week.[37] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) award Florida $27 million to help quell the pandemic.[38]
March 13: It is confirmed that Mayor of Miami Francis Suarez had contracted the virus.[39][40] The Department of Health confirms that an Orange County resident died in California after contracting COVID-19 while traveling.[41]
March 14: Orlando International Airport confirms that one of its Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of TSA agents across the United States to have the virus to five after four other TSA agents at Mineta San Jose International Airport in California tested positive.[42]
March 17: Governor DeSantis orders bars and nightclubs to close for 30 days,[43] gyms announce that they would be closing,[44] and the first medical group offers drive through COVID-19 testing in Central Florida.[45]
March 18: Nineteen senior living facilities are suspected to be infected by the coronavirus.[46] The state purchases 2,500 testing kits.[46] In addition, congressman Mario Diaz-Balart from Miami tests positive for the coronavirus. After his diagnosis, he self-quarantines in his Washington, D.C. apartment.[47]
March 20: A Pasco and a Broward County resident dies.[48][49] A man who returned to California after visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando approximately two weeks prior dies from the virus.[50][51] DeSantis orders that restaurants use take-out and delivery only to prevent guests from eating at restaurants.[52]
March 30: Although Florida law does not allow retired state personnel to return to work until six months after their retirement, DeSantis makes an exception and allows the retired healthcare and front line workers to come back to work[53] In addition, he signs an Executive Order for Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County residents to stay at home.[54] The Department of Education announces that schools will not be able to resume in person classes until at least May 1.[55] After learning that some patients were leaving isolation and going out in public, the Seminole County requires those who were diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay at home until medically cleared.[56]
April 1: DeSantis issues a statewide stay-at-home order following growing pressure to do so.[8][57][58]
April 12: The Tampa Bay Times reported a discrepancy between the counts of COVID-19 deaths in the state: the Florida Department of Health had reported 419, while Florida's medical examiners reported 461. The health department counts only Florida residents and organizes the data by the person's place of residence (to avoid double-counting); in contrast, the medical examiners count anyone who dies in the state, which includes visitors. The health department's analysis causes several days of reporting delay, which is a further reason it is difficult to compare the numbers.[59] In response to the Tampa Bay Times article, Florida officials stopped the release of the medical examiners' list, saying that it should be reviewed and possibly redacted, but did not publicly specify what exactly they wanted to redact.[60][61]
April 17: DeSantis allows some Florida beaches to reopen if done safely.[62]
April 18 It is announced that schools would remain closed for the remainder of the semester.[63]
April 20: The Florida Department of Economic Opportunities releases a dashboard showing that 1.5 million unemployment claims were made during the last month.[64] The Florida National Guard assists with COVID-19 sample collections at a State Nursing home for Veterans in Pembroke Pines.[65] In addition, they have helped across Florida in more than 50,000 COVID-19 tests and numerous screenings at airports.[65]
April 21: Flagler County announces its beaches would reopen for exercising and fishing but not socializing,[66] and the sunbathing restriction was lifted on Brevard County.[67]
.jpg)
May 4: The state of Florida removed 171 presumed COVID-19 cases with onset in January and February from its official COVID-19 database. The individuals were subsequently all still counted after they tested positive with CDC confirmation.[6]
May 5: Rebekah Jones, a geographic data scientist involved in tracking cases for the state, is terminated from her position by the Florida Department of Health. Jones claimed that the Department of Health wanted data on Florida's coronavirus dashboard changed to support Governor Ron DeSantis' plans to resume economic activity. She further contended that she was fired for refusing to alter the information. A statement from DeSantis' office denied this, instead claiming that she was fired for insubordination and unilateral decision-making regarding her dashboard additions. DeSantis added that Jones contradicted state epidemiologists.[68] In May 2021, Jones was granted whistleblower protection by the Florida Commission of Human Resources, but the investigation found allegations of retaliatory adverse action unsubstantiated and was closed in September 2022.[69] Jones posted a forged version of the notice of termination she received claiming the commission found she disclosed and demonstrated violations of Florida Statutes and qualified her termination as legitimate and non-retaliatory under Florida Statute that classified her as employment as Selected Exempt Service, making her employment at-will. The authentic letter provided by the commission made no such claims.[70] The Office of Inspector General later found her claims to be unsubstantiated or unfounded; those she accused were exonerated of any misconduct.[71]
May 17: Monroe County commissioners vote for a mask mandate that requires all employees and customers of businesses to wear masks.[72]
May 18: Broward County and Miami-Dade County enter Phase One of reopening.[73]
May 22: The Miami Beach City Commission votes that Miami-Dade hotels and beaches reopen by June 1, but that did not happen.[74]
May 27: Ocean Drive on Miami Beach is closed off to allow restaurants to expand their seating.[75] People are to along the sidewalks and in the closed off streets to maximize the restaurant capacities.[75]
First rise of cases (June–September 2020)
[edit]June 1: The Florida Keys reopened and lifted the roadblock.[76] Earlier in May, in a virtual round table, Miami-Dade Emergency Manager Frank Rollason said the county plans to test everyone coming into a shelter for COVID-19 and separate people who are ill or have symptoms from healthy people in different parts of the shelter.[77] June 1, he contradicted himself in an email and said the county plans to screen evacuees for symptoms, not test them.[78] The state hopes to have rapid testing by August or September and to be able to test people entering and exiting shelters by then.[79]
June 3: DeSantis announces that Florida could move into Phase 2 except south Florida, specifically Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, which need to submit plans for reopening. Phase 2 in Florida begins, with bars allowed to open at 50% capacity with social distancing and sanitation.[80]
June 10: Miami Beach reopens with social distancing guidelines.[81]
June 14: An alternate website for tracking COVID-19 cases in Florida, created by Rebekah Jones, debuted.[82] In an interview with NPR, she claims that in the current Florida Health dashboard, positive tests are only counted once per person but a person who tests negative multiple times is counted towards the data every time. She states that reporting positivity as a percentage of total tests instead of as a percentage of the total population tested lowers the reported COVID-19 positivity rate.[83]
June 16: Hawkers St. Pete restaurant in St. Petersburg temporary shuts down until further notice due to a spike of cases in the city and Pinellas County.[84] An ice hockey game in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area led to 14 of the 22 players and a rink staff member testing positive for COVID-19.[85]
June 19: A mandatory mask mandate goes into effect in Tampa. It applies to all indoor locations outside of one's home and anywhere in public where one cannot maintain social distancing. Those who are under the age of 2 are exempt from it.[72]
A mask mandate that applies to businesses in St. Petersburg goes into effect.[86]
June 21: The dashboard created by Rebekah Jones says that "the DOH "Cases" include residents and non-residents, but exclude those who received positive anti-body test results".[87]
June 23: A 17-year old from Lee County who attended a 100-person church function dies from COVID-19. The teenager had been treated at home with azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, and oxygen before being transferred to the Golisano Children's Hospital then to the Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.[88]
June 24: The daily positive test rate reaches 20%.[89] New York, New Jersey and Connecticut impose 14-day quarantines on visitors from states with infection rates above a certain threshold, including Florida.[90] A study by Scripps Research Institute reports that COVID-19 may be mutating in Florida, making the virus more likely to infect cells.[91]
During the month of June the seven day moving average of new COVID-19 cases in Florida increased nearly ten-fold, from 726 new cases per day on June 1 to 7,140 new cases on July 1, 2020.[5]
July 2: Florida's Department of Health stated that test results starting July 2 would include antigen test results received from the state public health laboratory and commercial and hospital laboratories.[92]
July 3: An 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County dies from COVID-19 complications, making him the youngest person in Florida to die from COVID-19.[93]
July 7: More than 40 Florida hospitals maxed out or were nearing capacity of their intensive care unit beds.[94]
July 12: 15,299 new COVID-19 cases are reported by the state, the highest daily amount during the pandemic.[5]
July 14: Miami is declared the worst hit locale in the state by Dr Lilian Abbo, chief of infection prevention at Jackson Health System.[95]
July 24: A longtime staffer of Rep. Vern Buchanan died of the disease after being hospitalized 9 days previously.[96]
July 27: Manatee County commissioners vote to approve an ordinance requiring masks to be worn inside private businesses. It does not apply to those who are under the age of 6 and with certain medical conditions.[72]
July 30: 253 deaths are reported, the highest daily count during the pandemic.[97][98]
Between July 30 and August 5, many state-run test sites were closed due to Hurricane Isaías.[99] Test sites in some western counties not in the hurricane's path remained open but state-run sites in Miami-Dade, Orange and other higher population eastern counties were closed until Monday, August 3, with some sites reopening before the scheduled full reopening on Wednesday, August 5. The interruption of full daily testing would lead to a dip in confirmed cases for several days.[100]
August 24: 52 nursing home residents at Fair Havens Center in Miami Springs died during a COVID-19 outbreak at the center. Acting on five complaints against the center, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) conducted in inspection that found numerous issues and the Agency shut down new admissions to the center. A certified nursing assistant was infected at the center in April, her husband and son became infected, and her 33-year-old son died in May.[101]
September 1: The Florida Department of Health and Division of Emergency Management announced a severing of ties with Quest Diagnostics, after the private laboratory failed to report nearly 75,000 tests to the state before that day, including some tests from as far back as April.[102] Of the 7,643 positive cases reported on September 1, 3,870 were collected by Quest between April 22 and August 27.[103]
September 24: Governor DeSantis suggested a "bill of rights" to protect college students from being expelled for attending parties that violate their school's COVID-19 rules.[104]
September 25: DeSantis issued an order that effectively nullified public health measures imposed by various local governments in Florida to combat the spread of the virus. DeSantis's order prohibits local governments from imposing fines or shutting down businesses for violations of mask mandates. The order also allows restaurants to immediately reopen at full capacity and restricted local governments from ordering restaurants to operate at less than half-capacity.[12][13] On November 24, amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state throughout the autumn, DeSantis extended this order.[14]
September 25: Tallahassee police broke up a dozen large gatherings over the weekend. This included a party of more than 1,000 people near Florida State University. Over 1,400 positive cases had been identified at Florida State between August 2 and September 26.[105]
September 25: In reaction to a brutal break up of a party near FSU, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes college 'bill of rights' to party.[106][107]
September 27: Manatee County commissioners vote to end a countywide mask mandate.[72]
September 28: Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the decision to reopen bars and restaurants at 100% capacity, and to prohibit localities from limiting business capacity to less than 50% was "very concerning" and "really asking for trouble."[108]
September 29: Governor DeSantis announced that the state will receive over six million rapid antigen tests for COVID-19, which typically provide results within fifteen minutes. The tests will initially be made available to long-term and senior care facilities, with the intention to later expand to schools. The state expected the first shipment of tests arrive by October 2.[109] A sharp rise in cases, with 3,259 reported, occurred that day, which followed 813 cases reported the day before, the lowest daily count in months. Test positivity for the day was 4.98%; the day before was at 4.21%.[5]
Second rise of cases (October 2020 – January 2021)
[edit]October 10, 2020: A daily report of test results was not provided. The Florida Department of Health explained that results provided by Helix Laboratory on Friday evening included nearly 400,000 previously submitted results. The Department of Health stated that the results would be provided by the next day, after the data was reconciled.[110]
October 14: The Florida-LSU football game was postponed until December. A total of 19 players for the Gators tested positive, as did coach Dan Mullen, who had urged that fans be allowed to pack the stadium.[111][112]
October 17: Florida reported its highest coronavirus numbers in two months. The seven-day average was more than 3,300 cases. Reporting anomalies made it more difficult to gather statistical trends. Positivity rate was 5.2%, with over 2,000 hospitalizations.[113]
October 19: With tourist season approaching, rising cases were reported in the Florida Keys, with 201 cases in the past 14 days, and a 7% positive test rate.[114]
October 22: WUFT reported that Florida universities "have received scores of formal complaints from students about their own classmates' behavior during the pandemic," such as packing bars off campus and holding parties without masks or social distancing.[115] Governor DeSantis defended the practice of holding Thanksgiving gatherings for the elderly in long-term care facilities, despite the potential health risks.[116]
October 23: Florida reported 16,500 deaths, and moved past New Jersey to become 4th in the nation in the number of deaths.[117]
October 24: A Florida Department of Health official in Orange County urged parents not to host birthday parties of any size, after half of the 30 attendees at an Orlando area birthday party contracted the virus.[118]
December 7: Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents raided the home of Rebekah Jones.[119]
December 14: United Airlines flight 591 departed from Orlando with 164 people on board for a 5.5 hour flight to Los Angeles, California. A 69-year-old man had respiratory distress on the flight, was given CPR, and the flight was diverted to New Orleans, Louisiana. The man died at a hospital, and his cause of death was listed as "acute respiratory failure; COVID-19". An emergency medical technician who performed the CPR later reported COVID-19 symptoms but received three negative test results. Two other passengers also took turns in performing chest compressions. A bag valve mask was used to provide oxygen, and there was no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation performed.[120]
December 17: The State of Florida reported 13,148 new cases, largest since July 16.[121]
December 31: A confirmed case of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in Florida. The patient is a Martin County man with no travel history.[122]
January 6, 2021: The CDC announced that it had found at least 22 confirmed cases of the more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant in Florida.[123]
Cases since January 2021 (February–August 2021)
[edit]July 31: Florida recorded 21,683 new cases in one day, the highest at any time in the pandemic. Florida's test positivity rate reached 18.82%, driven by the delta variant of COVID-19.[124]
August 6: The state continued to break records with 23,909 new cases on Friday, August 6, according to the CDC.[125]
August 8: The pastor of a Jacksonville church stated that six church members had died of COVID-19 within the previous two weeks.[126]
Response
[edit]| Date | Action Taken |
|---|---|
| March 1, 2020 | Public health emergency declared. |
| March 17, 2020 | All bars and nightclubs ordered to close for 30 days. |
| March 17, 2020 | School closures extended to April 15, and state-mandated school testing cancelled. |
| March 28, 2020 | Emergency alert sent to cell phones throughout Florida from the state's Surgeon General regarding public safety. |
| March 30, 2020 | Stay-at-home order issued for several South Florida counties. |
| April 1, 2020 | Stay-at-home order issued for entire state. |
| June 1, 2020 | Statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures extended by 30 days. |
| June 5, 2020 | "Phase 2" of reopening begins, except for the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. |
| June 26, 2020 | Banned alcohol sales at all bars across the state. |
| September 25, 2020 | "Phase 3" of reopening begins. |
State government
[edit]
.jpg)
On March 1, Governor DeSantis declared a public health emergency after two cases were confirmed in Manatee County and Hillsborough County.[127] On March 17, he ordered all bars and nightclubs to be closed for 30 days, extended school closures to April 15, and cancelled state-mandated school testing.[128]
By the third week of the pandemic's presence in Florida, DeSantis began attracting criticism for the state's slow response to the pandemic, particularly for deferring beach closings to local governments during spring break while vacationers continued to congregate. The Miami Herald's editorial board wrote an editorial condemning DeSantis' inaction in requesting help from the federal government, while noting his vocal support of U.S. president Donald Trump.[129][130] Speculation mounted that DeSantis' decision not to lock down the state was influenced by business interests, instead of health experts. Business lobbyists, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce, urged the Governor not to "take drastic measures that might shut down the state's economy."[131] On March 27, more than 900 health care workers signed a letter asking DeSantis to order citizens to shelter-in-place, and take other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. A similar letter written by Doctors for America was signed by 500 health care professionals a few days earlier.[132]
On March 27, DeSantis expanded a previous order requiring airline travelers from New York City to self-quarantine for fourteen days to include people who enter from Louisiana via Interstate 10.[133]
On March 28, an emergency alert was sent to cell phones throughout Florida from the state's Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, regarding public safety among those 65 and older and those with medical conditions, as well as the full population.[134]
On March 30, DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for the South Florida counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Monroe, where over 58% of the state's COVID-19 cases were concentrated. He stated that the order would remain in effect at least until the middle of May.[135]
On April 1, DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state, effective for 30 days, after a call with President Trump. This followed criticism from experts that stricter measures were necessary to contain the virus.[57][136][137]
On April 9, while discussing the possibility of sending children back to school, DeSantis said, "I don't think nationwide there's been a single fatality under 25." (This was not true; by this point, several Americans under 25 had died of COVID-19.) DeSantis suggested that the flu was more dangerous to this age group.[138]
On June 1, DeSantis extended the statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures another 30 days, lasting through July 1.[139] Residents of Florida who receive unemployment payments were confused in mid-June when the state of Florida switched their payments from weekly to bi-weekly, with no apparent notice.[140]
On June 5, DeSantis issued an executive order implementing "Phase 2" of a reopening plan outside of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, allowing some businesses (such as bars, pubs, and indoor venues such as arcades, bowling alleys, cinemas, and concert venues) to expand to 50% capacity, and personal care services to resume operations. The order recommended against gatherings of more than 50 people.[141]
On June 16, DeSantis said 260 Orlando International Airport workers tested positive for COVID-19. He also said that the increase of cases was due to an increase of testing and that even though cases are increasing, "they are not rolling back."[142] Orlando airport said this was false, and that only 2 out of 500 employees tested positive.[143]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo considered the idea of quarantining people who travel from Florida to New York due to concern of rising COVID-19 cases in Florida.[144] On June 20, DeSantis said that he was cracking down on restaurants not practicing strict social distancing guideline. He also noted that the new cases were trending in the younger generation, with much of the cases being people between the ages of 20 and 35 years old.[145]
On June 23, DeSantis said that Florida bars and restaurants would be liable to lose their liquor licenses if they violate the state's social distancing guidelines.[146] 13 employees and at least 28 patrons of The Knight's Pub in Orlando tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in The Knight's Pub losing their liquor license.[147] Due to the increase of cases, some hospitals, like Palm Beach Gardens and JFK Medical Center, reported having no open ICU beds. However, State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees told hospitals to only report COVID-19 patients as ICU cases if they required ICU level of care, since some ICUs were being used to simply isolate COVID-19 patients from other hospital patients, and to report non-ICU-level care cases as COVID-hospitalized cases.[148] The same day, Florida banned liquor sales at bars that do not offer substantial food menus.[149] Strip clubs remained open.[150]
As of June 26, 660 inmates and 24 staff at the Homestead Correctional Institution tested positive for COVID-19, and 23 deaths had been accounted for at the Institution due to the virus.[151]
On September 10, 2020, the state rescinded the executive order prohibiting alcohol sales at bars.[152]
Prohibitions on mitigations
[edit]On September 25, Governor DeSantis announced Phase 3, which lifted all capacity restrictions on most businesses. In addition, municipalities are prohibited from collecting fines for violations of local health orders, and may not restrict restaurants to less than 50% capacity unless they receive approval from the state; they must provide justification for the decision, and detail any possible economic impact.[153][154][155]
From April 2021, DeSantis has signed multiple executive orders designed to prohibit the use of COVID-19 mitigations, citing alleged infringements of personal freedoms.[156][157][158] On April 2, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting any business from requiring proof of vaccination or recovery ("vaccine passports") as a prerequisite for entry or the provision of services, punishable by fine of $5,000 per-instance.[159][157][158]
On May 3, 2021, DeSantis signed an executive order officially rescinding the state of emergency and all COVID-19-related public health orders. This order superseded all local public health orders, and also prohibited municipalities from enacting any further public health order related to COVID-19.[160][161] That same day, he signed a bill prohibiting vaccine passports and limiting other COVID-19 mitigation measures such as mask mandates.[162][163] On July 30, DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting municipalities and school boards from mandating that masks be worn in schools.[156]
In July 2021, Norwegian Cruise Line sued the Surgeon General of Florida, arguing that the prohibition of vaccine mandates "poses imminent, substantial, irreparable harms" to the company, and prevented it from being able to ensure the health and safety of its passengers and crew. The DeSantis administration argued that the company "has made the disappointing and unlawful choice to join the CDC in discriminating against children and other individuals who cannot be vaccinated or who have opted not to be vaccinated for reasons of health, religion, or conscience."[164] On August 8, District Judge Kathleen M. Williams issued a preliminary injunction against the prohibition, arguing that it "fails to provide a valid evidentiary, factual, or legal predicate", and that "documentary proof of vaccination will expedite passengers' entry into virtually every single country and port where Plaintiffs intend to sail."[165][166]
On November 18, 2021, DeSantis signed four bills, passed by the Florida Legislature the previous day,[167] that, among other actions, limited vaccine mandates by businesses and government entities.[168][169][170]
In January 2023, amid the upcoming expiration of his executive orders in July 2023, DeSantis tabled legislation to make the prohibition of vaccine and mask mandates permanent.[171]
County and local responses
[edit]
Schools
[edit]On June 10, 2020, it was announced that Broward County and Palm Beach County were considering twice-a-week school for the fall.[172] On June 16, 2020, Broward County announced that schools would reopen on August 16, 2020, with hybrid learning, both in-person and online education.[173]
On July 6, 2020, the Florida Department of Education ordered all public schools to reopen in person. This was challenged by the Florida Education Association (FEA). On August 24, 2020, the Second Judicial Circuit Court issued an injunction against the order.[174] The case was appealed to the First District Court of Appeal, which ruled in mid October 2020 in favor of the reopening order.[175] A rehearing was requested in late October 2020,[176] but ultimately the FEA voluntarily dismissed the case on December 23, 2020.[177]
From August 10 to December 21, 2020, cases of school-related COVID-19 included 25,094 among students and 9,630 among staff members. Of all 2,809,553 registered students, there were 101 hospitalizations and no deaths. Among staff members, there were 219 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. Contact tracing revealed 10,092 positive cases in people who had close-contact in a school setting with people who had school-related COVID-19. 62 of the 67 school districts had at least one case, with a total of 695 school-based outbreaks. 28 schools in 12 districts closed temporarily because of COVID-19.[178]
Masks
[edit]On June 23, Carlos Gimenez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, said police would be enforcing rules concerning wearing masks in public places and social distancing.[179] On June 25, Palm Beach County started enforcing a mask mandate.[180] On June 26, Key West implemented a mandatory mask law, making it punishable either by citation or a $500 fine, and they canceled 4 July fireworks.[181] At the end of June, the commissioners for St. Johns County voted 4–1 against requiring masks indoors.[182] Less than two weeks later, one of the St. Johns commissioners who had voted against masks was hospitalized in critical condition with a COVID-19 diagnosis.[183]
In August 2020, Marion County's sheriff's office announced that deputies and visitors to the police stations would be forbidden from wearing masks.[184][185]
Beginning September 25, 2020, as part of an executive order from the governor which coincided with "Phase 3" of reopening the state, local governments are not able to collect fines from individuals who violate local COVID-19-related health orders.[12]
Prohibition of mask mandates in schools
[edit]On July 30, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed an executive order that prohibits schools and school boards from mandating masks, citing a desire to preserve personal freedoms and parents' rights to choose.[156][186] Schools that mandate masks, thereby violating this order, may lose their state funding. Additionally, the governor's office threatened to "withhold" the paychecks of individual superintendents and school board members who "intentionally defy" the order.[187][186]
The order faced wide criticism, due to the fact that there were no vaccines approved by the FDA for children younger than 12 at the time, and that the CDC had recommended the wearing of masks by all school students and faculty due to Delta variant. A number of school districts announced that they would defy the order and mandate masks; Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, stated that "At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees."[186] Two lawsuits against the order were filed on August 6, alleging that it violates provisions in the state constitution which prescribe that "adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools".[188] The Biden administration expressed support for the local schools.[189]
On August 12, DeSantis's press secretary Christina Pushaw told the Miami Herald that the Governor could not actually withhold pay from officials who willfully violate the executive order since they are not state employees, and because they might "take funding from other needs in their own district" in order to cover their salaries. She argued that "those officials should own their decision — and that means owning the consequences of their decisions rather than demanding students, teachers, and school staff to foot the bill for their potential grandstanding."[190] During a ten-day period in late August and early September, 15 staff members in the Miami-Dade County public schools died of COVID-19.[191]
On August 27, the state's Second Judicial Circuit ruled that the Florida Department of Education could not interfere with local mask mandates.[192] However, on September 10, the First District Court of Appeal reversed the decision, reinstating Governor DeSantis's policy that masks should always be optional. The same day, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, suspecting that a statewide ban on local mask mandates may violate the rights of students with disabilities, announced its intent to probe DeSantis's policy.[193] On October 7, the Republican-led state Board of Education voted to penalize eight school districts for requiring masks.[194]
Curfews
[edit]Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed order to close beaches starting Friday, July 3, 2020, and ending Tuesday, July 7, with a limit of gatherings to 50 people.[195] Broward County and Palm Beach County soon after followed Miami-Dade's example and decided to close their beaches for 4 July as well.[196]
On July 2, 2020, Mayor Gimenez ordered a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. He also ordered all on-site dining to close from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily at restaurants with seating for more than eight people. Both orders were to last until further notice.[197]
On March 20, 2021, the City of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency and an 8 p.m. curfew due to overcrowded streets during spring break.[198]
Contact tracing
[edit]On July 7, 2020, DeSantis announced that Florida had received federal grants under the CARES Act to hire contact tracers. According to the state's daily report for July 6 out of 213,794 confirmed cases, over 40% had still not been contacted. Contact tracing has met with challenges as contact tracers have been unable to track the spread at crowded parties because young people have not wanted to share the information with contact tracers.[199][200]
Statistics
[edit]During the months of June, July, and August 2020, the number of COVID-19 cases in Florida increased over eleven-fold, from 56,830 on June 1 to 631,040 on September 1. COVID-19 deaths lag by several weeks behind case counts, but by the end of July, Florida set new death records on four consecutive days, culminating in 257 deaths on July 31. Since June 1, the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases in Florida has increased 388%, from 726 new cases per day on June 1, to 2,757 new cases per day as of September 23. During the months of June, July, and August 2020, the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths increased nearly four-fold, from an average of 29.7 newly reported deaths per day on June 1 to 113 deaths per day on September 1.[5]
By County
[edit]| County[a] | Cases | Hosp. | Deaths | Population[b] | Cases / 100k | Deaths / 100k | CFR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,909,209 | 80,954 | 31,683 | 20,598,139 | 9,268.8 | 153.8 | 1.7% | |
| Non-residents | 35,786 | n/a | 583 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.6% | |
| Total | 1,944,995 | n/a | 32,266 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.7% | |
| Alachua | 22,349 | 1,066 | 236 | 263,148 | 8,492.9 | 89.7 | 1.1% | |
| Baker | 3,296 | 173 | 56 | 27,785 | 11,862.5 | 201.5 | 1.7% | |
| Bay | 18,317 | 776 | 353 | 182,482 | 10,037.7 | 193.4 | 1.9% | |
| Bradford | 2,853 | 145 | 52 | 26,979 | 10,574.9 | 192.7 | 1.8% | |
| Brevard | 34,157 | 2,050 | 764 | 576,808 | 5,921.7 | 132.5 | 2.2% | |
| Broward | 197,347 | 9,065 | 2,465 | 1,909,151 | 10,336.9 | 129.1 | 1.2% | |
| Calhoun | 1,620 | 56 | 46 | 14,750 | 10,983.1 | 311.9 | 2.8% | |
| Charlotte | 10,668 | 822 | 373 | 160,511 | 6,646.3 | 232.4 | 3.5% | |
| Citrus | 9,802 | 645 | 414 | 140,031 | 6,999.9 | 295.6 | 4.2% | |
| Clay | 16,823 | 857 | 315 | 192,370 | 8,745.1 | 163.7 | 1.9% | |
| Collier | 29,666 | 1,542 | 465 | 328,134 | 9,040.8 | 141.7 | 1.6% | |
| Columbia | 7,689 | 448 | 161 | 67,485 | 11,393.6 | 238.6 | 2.1% | |
| DeSoto | 3,854 | 278 | 76 | 36,399 | 10,588.2 | 208.8 | 2.0% | |
| Dixie | 1,510 | 101 | 22 | 16,437 | 9,186.6 | 133.8 | 1.5% | |
| Duval | 88,258 | 1,959 | 1,208 | 924,229 | 9,549.4 | 130.7 | 1.4% | |
| Escambia | 30,606 | 2,049 | 637 | 311,522 | 9,824.7 | 204.5 | 2.1% | |
| Flagler | 6,058 | 337 | 93 | 107,139 | 5,654.3 | 86.8 | 1.5% | |
| Franklin | 1,246 | 28 | 17 | 11,736 | 10,616.9 | 144.9 | 1.4% | |
| Gadsden | 5,467 | 413 | 87 | 46,017 | 11,880.4 | 189.1 | 1.6% | |
| Gilchrist | 1,427 | 66 | 37 | 17,615 | 8,101.1 | 210.0 | 2.6% | |
| Glades | 905 | 68 | 16 | 13,363 | 6,772.4 | 119.7 | 1.8% | |
| Gulf | 1,858 | 95 | 41 | 16,055 | 11,572.7 | 255.4 | 2.2% | |
| Hamilton | 1,553 | 77 | 22 | 14,269 | 10,883.7 | 154.2 | 1.4% | |
| Hardee | 2,805 | 207 | 31 | 27,228 | 10,301.9 | 113.9 | 1.1% | |
| Hendry | 4,328 | 322 | 75 | 40,127 | 10,785.8 | 186.9 | 1.7% | |
| Hernando | 11,523 | 956 | 403 | 182,696 | 6,307.2 | 220.6 | 3.5% | |
| Highlands | 7,267 | 576 | 308 | 102,101 | 7,117.5 | 301.7 | 4.2% | |
| Hillsborough | 112,662 | 2,842 | 1,535 | 1,378,883 | 8,170.5 | 111.3 | 1.4% | |
| Holmes | 2,164 | 82 | 46 | 19,430 | 11,137.4 | 236.7 | 2.1% | |
| Indian River | 11,100 | 768 | 267 | 150,984 | 7,351.8 | 176.8 | 2.4% | |
| Jackson | 5,897 | 341 | 153 | 48,472 | 12,165.8 | 315.6 | 2.6% | |
| Jefferson | 1,387 | 70 | 24 | 14,105 | 9,833.4 | 170.2 | 1.7% | |
| Lafayette | 1,595 | 49 | 24 | 8,744 | 18,241.1 | 274.5 | 1.5% | |
| Lake | 24,777 | 1,295 | 583 | 335,362 | 7,388.1 | 173.8 | 2.4% | |
| Lee | 56,800 | 2,066 | 889 | 718,679 | 7,903.4 | 123.7 | 1.6% | |
| Leon | 28,662 | 615 | 292 | 288,102 | 9,948.6 | 101.4 | 1.0% | |
| Levy | 2,924 | 185 | 41 | 39,961 | 7,317.1 | 102.6 | 1.4% | |
| Liberty | 1,047 | 22 | 16 | 8,365 | 12,516.4 | 191.3 | 1.5% | |
| Madison | 1,988 | 88 | 43 | 18,474 | 10,761.1 | 232.8 | 2.2% | |
| Manatee | 31,908 | 1,382 | 612 | 373,853 | 8,534.9 | 163.7 | 1.9% | |
| Marion | 27,948 | 1,781 | 855 | 348,371 | 8,022.5 | 245.4 | 3.1% | |
| Martin | 10,608 | 704 | 294 | 157,581 | 6,731.8 | 186.6 | 2.8% | |
| Miami-Dade | 414,318 | 11,818 | 5,558 | 2,715,516 | 15,257.4 | 204.7 | 1.3% | |
| Monroe | 5,659 | 239 | 46 | 76,325 | 7,414.3 | 60.3 | 0.8% | |
| Nassau | 7,373 | 293 | 116 | 80,578 | 9,150.1 | 144.0 | 1.6% | |
| Okaloosa | 19,038 | 674 | 333 | 200,737 | 9,484.1 | 165.9 | 1.7% | |
| Okeechobee | 3,559 | 364 | 83 | 40,572 | 8,772.1 | 204.6 | 2.3% | |
| Orange | 114,764 | 2,430 | 1,126 | 1,321,194 | 8,686.4 | 85.2 | 1.0% | |
| Osceola | 36,881 | 1,299 | 459 | 338,619 | 10,891.6 | 135.6 | 1.2% | |
| Palm Beach | 121,208 | 6,098 | 2,510 | 1,446,277 | 8,380.7 | 173.5 | 2.1% | |
| Pasco | 33,751 | 2,235 | 664 | 510,593 | 6,610.2 | 130.0 | 2.0% | |
| Pinellas | 66,189 | 4,313 | 1,480 | 957,875 | 6,910.0 | 154.5 | 2.2% | |
| Polk | 57,711 | 4,446 | 1,175 | 668,671 | 8,630.7 | 175.7 | 2.0% | |
| Putnam | 5,878 | 505 | 130 | 72,766 | 8,077.9 | 178.7 | 2.2% | |
| Santa Rosa | 17,095 | 812 | 267 | 170,442 | 10,029.8 | 156.7 | 1.6% | |
| Sarasota | 26,182 | 1,259 | 750 | 412,144 | 6,352.6 | 182.0 | 2.9% | |
| Seminole | 27,582 | 1,145 | 442 | 455,086 | 6,060.8 | 97.1 | 1.6% | |
| St. Johns | 20,055 | 712 | 200 | 235,503 | 8,515.8 | 84.9 | 1.0% | |
| St. Lucie | 22,495 | 1,506 | 551 | 305,591 | 7,361.1 | 180.3 | 2.4% | |
| Sumter | 8,101 | 513 | 243 | 122,999 | 6,586.2 | 197.6 | 3.0% | |
| Suwannee | 5,119 | 303 | 133 | 43,924 | 11,654.2 | 302.8 | 2.6% | |
| Taylor | 2,652 | 92 | 42 | 22,098 | 12,001.1 | 190.1 | 1.6% | |
| Union | 1,747 | 77 | 70 | 15,239 | 11,464.0 | 459.3 | 4.0% | |
| Volusia | 34,583 | 1,793 | 677 | 527,634 | 6,554.4 | 128.3 | 2.0% | |
| Wakulla | 3,179 | 151 | 52 | 31,877 | 9,972.7 | 163.1 | 1.6% | |
| Walton | 6,383 | 278 | 81 | 65,858 | 9,692.1 | 123.0 | 1.3% | |
| Washington | 2,618 | 131 | 48 | 24,566 | 10,657.0 | 195.4 | 1.8% | |
| Unknown | 370 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| These figures were reported by the Florida Department of Health on March 7, 2021, except where noted otherwise.[201][202] | ||||||||
Demographics
[edit]COVID-19 deaths among Floridians by age as of January 22, 2022:[5]
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Age group | Death count | % of deaths |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | 61,332 | |
| 0–4y | 23 | <1% |
| 5–14y | 19 | <1% |
| 15–24y | 189 | 0.3% |
| 25–34y | 768 | 1.3% |
| 35–44y | 1,973 | 3.2% |
| 45–54y | 4,449 | 7.3% |
| 55–64y | 9,287 | 15.1% |
| 65–74y | 13,877 | 22.6% |
| 75–84y | 16,092 | 26.2% |
| 85y and over | 14,655 | 23.9% |
All-cause deaths
[edit]Weekly all-cause deaths in Florida:[203]
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Impacts
[edit].jpg)
Early in March 2020, the pandemic began having an impact throughout Florida as state and local government, businesses, and public institutions took measures to slow the spread of the virus.[204]
Commercial entities
[edit]On March 12, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced that the Walt Disney World Resort would close from March 15 to end of May, later announcing that the parks and resorts would stay closed indefinitely. Universal Parks & Resorts also announced that Universal Orlando Resort would close from March 15 until at least the end of the month, also later announcing that the parks and resorts would stay closed until May 31.[205][206] Other theme parks in Florida such as SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also decided to close from March 13 until further notice.[207][208]
Despite the increase of COVID-19 cases in Florida, theme parks reopened in mid-July. Although a major exception to this would be Legoland Florida which reopened on June 1.[209] On July 11, Disney reopened Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios reopened on July 15.[210]
Elder care facilities
[edit]On March 2, AARP warned Florida nursing homes to prepare and provide adequate supplies of protective wear[211] and the Florida Department of Health issued guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19.[212] On March 11, DeSantis placed limits on who could visit nursing homes.[213] On March 23, the Miami Herald, seeking the name of every elder care facility that had a positive test for COVID-19, filed a public records request with the Florida Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration. The governor's office refused to release the information. On April 9, the Miami Herald provided the required notification to the State of Florida that they would be filing a lawsuit to obtain the information. After receiving a call from the governor's office, however, the Miami Herald's law firm, Holland & Knight, dropped the case. The Miami Herald planned to proceed with a different law firm.[214] The government subsequently released a list that, by April 21, included 313 facilities where either caregivers or residents had tested positive. The list was incomplete and did not provide data on the number of individuals infected or deceased.[215]
Public universities
[edit]
On March 10, Joseph Glover, the provost of the University of Florida (UF), sent out a recommendation to UF professors to transition their classes online.[216][217] The following day, UF announced all its classes for the spring semester would be transitioned online by the following Monday, and encouraged students to return to their hometowns.[37]
On March 11, Florida State University announced that classes would be moved online from March 23 to April 5, with in-person classes expected to resume on April 6.[218] The Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida directed all state universities to make plans to transition into remote learning effective immediately. Essential functions, such as dining and library services were still operational.[219] Florida International University in Miami announced that it would transition to remote learning starting from March 12 until at least April 4.[220] The University of South Florida in Tampa announced that all classes will consist of remote instruction for the rest of Spring 2020 semester.[221] On March 17, University of Central Florida announced that it would be canceling graduation;[222] two days later, one of their students tested positive for COVID-19.[223] On June 10, Florida International University received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Health for vaccines.[224]
Parks
[edit]The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced on March 22 that they would be closing all state parks to the public.[225] Miami Beach reopened a number of public parks on April 29. Over the following weekend, authorities issued over 7,000 verbal warnings to people who were not wearing face masks. Most were at South Pointe Park. On the morning of May 4, the city announced that South Pointe Park was closed again until further notice.[226] Pinellas and Manatee County Public beaches would reopen on May 4 with both counties requiring social distancing. County parks in Hillsborough County would reopen on May 18.[227] Several beaches were closed for the 2020 Fourth of July weekend.[228]
Sports
[edit]Most of the state's sports teams were affected by the pandemic. Several leagues postponed or suspended their seasons starting March 12. Major League Baseball (MLB) canceled the remainder of spring training, affecting the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays and the other Florida spirng training teams.[229] and announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely.[230] The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the season would be suspended for 30 days, affecting the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.[231] The National Hockey League (NHL) season was suspended indefinitely, affecting the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.[232] The Miami Open, a major tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour was canceled for the first time in its history on March 12.[233] In motorsports NASCAR was scheduled to race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 20–22, however on March 12 NASCAR announced that the races would be held behind doors, but one day later NASCAR cancelled the races and rescheduled them for June 13–14. INDYCAR was scheduled to race on the streets in St. Petersburgh on March 15 for its season opener, but INDYCAR announced that the race would be held behind doors before one day later cancelling the race and rescheduling it for the season finale on October 25.
Professional wrestling; state exceptions on sports
[edit]In the wake of sports cancellations, the professional wrestling promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE re-located their weekly television programs (which normally toured to different arenas each episode) to sites in Florida in mid-March. AEW filmed its AEW Dynamite and all pay-per-views at Daily's Place in Jacksonville (which shares ownership with AEW via its lead investor Shahid Khan) until April 1, and WWE filmed all of its programming at its WWE Performance Center training facility in Orlando (including its flagship event WrestleMania 36, which was originally to be held at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium). Both promotions were filmed behind closed doors with no audience and only essential staff present.[234][235][236][237] AEW re-located to a closed set in Norcross, Georgia on April 1, where it filmed content through April 3.[235][238]
On April 9, the Division of Emergency Management amended its state-wide stay-at-home order, categorizing employees of "professional sports and media production with a national audience," if closed to the general public, essential workers.[239][240] The following Monday, April 13, Mayor of Orange County Jerry Demings confirmed that this change would allow WWE to continue its closed door tapings in the state, and were implemented following discussions with the office of Governor DeSantis. It was subsequently reported that WWE was warned of the stay-at-home restrictions by officials, but that DeSantis deemed the company's operations critical to Florida's economy, and approved the new exemption in response.[241][242]
The next day, DeSantis defended his decision, explaining that, "if you think about it, we have never had a period like this in modern American history where you've had so little new content, particularly in the sporting realm," and suggested that other closed-door sporting events — such as golf (particularly, a proposed rematch between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson) and NASCAR races — could also be held under the new exception.[239] Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation Halsey Beshears had also made a post on Twitter directed to the mixed martial arts promotion UFC on April 7, suggesting that his department could help sanction their events there (however, after it intended to hold UFC 249 and other fights at a tribal casino in California, the promotion suspended all events indefinitely on April 9, by request of its U.S. rightsholders ESPN Inc. and The Walt Disney Company).[243][239][244]
Orlando Sentinel columnists Mike Bianchi and Scott Maxwell questioned whether these actions were intended to help the state gain favor from the Trump administration; WWE owner and chairman Vince McMahon has been an ally of Trump, who had made recurring appearances in WWE programming as a celebrity figure prior to his presidency, and was inducted to the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.[245][246] The same day as Deming's announcement, America First Action — a super PAC led by McMahon's wife and former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon — pledged $18.5 million on advertising in Florida for Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.[247][246] On April 14, McMahon was named to a federal advisory group on the "re-opening" of the country's economy, joining other notable sports figures. During the daily press briefing, Trump addressed him and UFC head Dana White (who is also a Trump ally) with the title, "The Great".[248][249][245]
Following the implementation of this exception, several sporting events were announced for the state; on April 24, UFC announced that a new UFC 249 and two UFC Fight Night cards would be held in Jacksonville in May.[250] Two televised golf events benefiting COVID-19-related causes were scheduled for local courses, including TaylorMade Driving Relief at Seminole Golf Club—a skins game by NBC Sports and Golf Channel featuring Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff —on May 17,[251][252] and The Match: Champions for Charity on May 24 at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound—a four-ball competition by Turner Sports featuring Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson paired with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.[253] On May 14, NASCAR announced a new June 14 date for its postponed Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway.[254] On May 23, All Elite Wrestling returned to Jacksonville for its pay-per-view Double or Nothing (relocated from Las Vegas), with most of the event being held at Daily's Place, and a main event "Stadium Stampede" match within the confines of neighboring TIAA Bank Field.[255]
Return to play in professional sports
[edit]On May 23, the NBA confirmed that it was in talks with Walt Disney World in Orlando to use it as one or more centralized sites for the resumption of the NBA season.[256] On June 4, the league approved a plan to host the remainder of the season at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.[257] Major League Soccer similarly announced on June 10 that it would host the one-off MLS is Back Tournament at the same site, with all 26 MLS clubs competing to qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League.[258]
As part of the NHL's return-to-play, training facilities reopened on June 10.[259] On June 19, a number of COVID-19 cases were reported among team training facilities in Florida, including the Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) and Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL). In Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays temporarily closed its spring training facility in Dunedin after a player showed signs of symptoms. In combination with similar concerns regarding facilities in Arizona, all MLB spring training facilities were closed league-wide for cleaning.[260][261][262] On June 24, WWE announced that multiple cases had been recorded among its staff, including performers and on-air personality Renee Young. WWE stated that it would now test all performers prior to its television broadcasts.[263] Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, announced on June 30 that the 2020 season would not be played, affecting all teams statewide and nationally.[264]
With the introduction of Phase 3, some of Florida's sports teams began to reintroduce in-person spectators in late-2020, though still voluntarily limiting capacity to follow federal guidance.[265] Super Bowl LV was held at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021, with the stadium hosting just under 25,000 spectators.[266] Two months later, Raymond James Stadium hosted WrestleMania 37, WWE's first in-person event since the onset of the pandemic. WWE had originally planned to host WrestleMania 37 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but delayed their hosting to 2023 due to current health orders in the state, and to compensate for Tampa not being able to host the event in 2020.[267][268]
Due to Canadian border restrictions, multiple professional sports teams based in the country temporarily re-located their home games to sites in Florida for all or part of their 2020 and/or 2021 seasons, including the Toronto Raptors (Tampa Bay),[269] Toronto Blue Jays (who began the season at their Spring Training home of TD Ballpark in Dunedin), and Major League Soccer's CF Montreal and Toronto FC (Fort Lauderdale and Orlando).[270]
See also
[edit]- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States – for impact on the country
- COVID-19 pandemic – for impact on other countries
Notes
[edit]- ^ The "hospitalizations" figure released by the Florida Department of Health "is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized."[3]
- ^ 16.92% of the population of Florida, or 1 out of 5.91. Florida's COVID-19 Dashboard reports the population as 20,598,139.
- ^ 0.25% of the population of Florida, or 1 out of 401.99. Florida's COVID-19 Dashboard reports the population as 20,598,139.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Department of Health Announces Two Presumptive Positive COVID-19 Cases in Florida". Florida Department of Health. March 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ "Florida". Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Florida's COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard". Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Florida". Johns Hopkins.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2019 Novel Coronavirus Response (COVID-19)". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Persaud, Chris (May 5, 2020). "Coronavirus patients in Florida had symptoms as early as January". Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ Gross, Samantha J (March 11, 2020). "Is there community spread of COVID-19 in Florida? DeSantis tries to clear it up". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Klas, Mary Ellen; Contorno, Steve (April 1, 2020). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issues statewide stay-at-home order". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Kennedy, John and Anderson, Zac. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to keep state open, downplays rise in coronavirus cases" Archived March 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Palm Beach Post and USA Today (June 17, 2020).
- ^ Hutzler, Alexandra. "Stanford Doctor Jay Bhattacharya Praises Ron DeSantis for COVID Response: 'He's Extraordinary'" Archived March 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Newsweek (April 26, 2021).
- ^ Stanage, Niall. "DeSantis's record on COVID-19: Here's what he said and did" Archived March 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, The Hill (February 2, 2023).
- ^ a b c DeSantis, Ron (September 25, 2020). "2020-244 Executive Order re: Phase 3; Right to Work; Business Certainty; Suspension of Fines" (PDF). Governor of Florida.
- ^ a b Calvan, Bobby Caina (September 25, 2020). "Coronavirus: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reopening state's economy despite COVID-19 spread, bans mask fines". Associated Press.
- ^ a b "Florida governor extends order suspending COVID-19 related enforcement fines". WESH. November 24, 2020.
- ^ Sachs, Sam. "Floridians' life expectancy drops by 1.5 years, according to CDC" Archived March 18, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, WFLA-TV (August 2022).
- ^ Arias, Elizabeth, et al."National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 71, Number 2, U.S. State Life Tables, 2020" Archived March 16, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Division of Vital Statistics, Center for Disease Control (August 23, 2022).
- ^ Montgomery, Ben. "How Florida's life expectancy declined in the pandemic" Archived March 18, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Axios Tampa Bay (September 6, 2022).
- ^ "Florida DOH COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report" (PDF). Florida DOH COVID-19 Response. September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "CDC COVID Data Tracker". CDC COVID Data Tracker. US Center for Disease Control. September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Delta variant takes hold in U.S. as coronavirus cases rise nearly 70 percent". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "See How the Vaccine Rollout Is Going in Your State". The New York Times. December 17, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Cetoute, Devoun (April 19, 2022). "Florida COVID weekly update: State sees most new cases in a month". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Communications Office (February 15, 2023). "Health Alert on mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Safety". Florida Department of Health. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Nick; Henning, Allyson (March 1, 2020). "Florida can now test for coronavirus at state health labs, including Jacksonville". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Governor: Florida has first cases of coronaviruses". MESH. March 2, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ Volz, Brianna (March 4, 2020). "Do you have coronavirus questions? Call this number". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Florida coronavirus update for Tuesday, March 3: Another 'presumptive positive' case in state reported". msn.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "3rd Case of Coronavirus Infection Reported in Florida". Spectrum Bay News 9. March 3, 2020. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Kevin (March 5, 2020). "DeSantis: New presumptive positive case of coronavirus found in Santa Rosa County". Pensacola News Journal. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ ".@HealthyFla has announced 3 new presumptive positive Florida #COVID19 cases: 2 in Broward County that are isolated and 1 in Lee County that is deceased. A previously-announced case in Santa Rosa County is also deceased". March 6, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "Publix sets purchase limits for supplies amid coronavirus". WKMG. March 8, 2020. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ Sandoval, Erin Dobrzyn, Erik (March 9, 2020). "Florida House members possibly exposed to coronavirus cleared to return to House floor". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jankowski, Erin Dobrzyn, Jon (March 10, 2020). "Second Volusia County woman tests positive for coronavirus". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Grand Princess Updates". Princess. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020.
- ^ "Another Princess cruise ship kept at sea pending virus tests". AP. March 9, 2020. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "UF coronavirus: classes required to move online; Shands hospital has first coronavirus case". The Alligator. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Iwasinski, Adrianna (March 11, 2020). "CDC awards Florida $27M to combat coronavirus: Here's what it will be used for". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Flechas, Joey (March 13, 2020). "Miami mayor tests positive for coronavirus after event with Brazilian President Bolsonaro". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Cardona, Alexi C. (March 13, 2020). "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Tests Positive for Coronavirus". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ @HealthyFla (March 14, 2020). "DOH has confirmed 25 new individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida. All are being cared for and isolated. One Orange County, FL resident tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling and has died in California. Visit http://floridahealth.gov/COVID-19 for more information" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Simmons, Roger. "TSA worker at Orlando International Airport tests positive for COVID-19". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Dobrzyn, Erin (March 17, 2020). "Florida governor orders all nightclubs, bars to close for 30 days due to coronavirus". WKMG. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Gondar, Elizabeth (March 16, 2020). "YMCA, other Orlando-area gyms closing due to coronavirus concerns". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Bolden, Louis (March 17, 2020). "Medical group offers first drive-up coronavirus testing in Central Florida". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Krischer Goodman, Cindy (March 18, 2020). "Florida coronavirus updates: As many as 19 senior living facilities feared infected". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020.
- ^ Rice, Katie (March 18, 2020). "Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart tests positive for coronavirus". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "Florida Department of Health Updates New COVID-19 Cases, Announces One New Death Related to COVID-19, 11 a.m. Update" (Press release). Tallahassee: Florida Department of Health. March 20, 2020. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ "Florida Department of Health Updates New COVID-19 Cases, Announces One New Death Related to COVID-19, 6 p.m. Update" (Press release). Tallahassee: Florida Department of Health. March 20, 2020. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ Jankowski, Jon (March 20, 2020). "Man who died in California from coronavirus visited Disney World 2 weeks prior, report says". ClickOrlando. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ Plotkin, Dave (March 19, 2020). "Man dies of coronavirus after visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ Dobrzyn, Erin (March 20, 2020). "Coronavirus: Florida governor bans all restaurant dining, orders gyms to close". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "DeSantis: Retired first responders, healthcare workers to be allowed to return to workforce to combat outbreak". March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Manchester, Julia (April 1, 2020). "Florida governor issues statewide stay-at-home order". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Wright, Colleen (March 30, 2020). "South Florida school districts follow state recommendation to stay online until May". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020.
- ^ Cutway, Adrienne (April 3, 2020). "Some Seminole County COVID-19 patients are still going out in public". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Executive Order 20–91" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Florida coronavirus update for Wednesday: DeSantis announces 30-day stay-home order for Florida". Orlando Sentinel. April 1, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ McGrory, Kathleen; Woolington, Rebecca (April 12, 2020). "Florida's count of coronavirus deaths is missing some cases". The Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ McGrory, Kathleen; Woolington, Rebecca (April 29, 2020). "Florida medical examiners were releasing coronavirus death data. The state made them stop". The Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Budryk, Zack (April 29, 2020). "Florida ordered coroners to stop releasing coronavirus death data: report". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Gov. Ron DeSantis gives some Florida beaches green light to reopen". CNBC. April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "DeSantis Announces K-12 Schools Will Stay Closed for the Remainder of the School Year". NBC 6 South Florida. April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Delayed Unemployment Claims, Uncertainty Persist in Florida". www.mynews13.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Army Sgt. Leia Tascarini, Florida Army National Guard. "Florida Guard Aids COVID-19 Testing at Veterans Nursing Home". U.S.Dept of Defense. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Speck, Emilee (April 21, 2020). "Flagler County Beaches will reopen for exercising, fishing -- not socializing". WKMG. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "Brevard Cities Lift Beach Restrictions on Sunbathing, Group Activity". www.mynews13.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Fang, Marina (May 19, 2020). "Ousted Designer Of Florida's COVID-19 Dashboard Says She Was Asked To Censor Data". HuffPost. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Florida Data Scientist Rebekah Jones Granted Whistleblower Status". HuffPost. Associated Press. May 30, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "After whistleblower complaint was closed, Rebekah Jones' shared altered official letter".
- ^ Bustos, Sergio; Kennedy, John. "State investigators dismiss Rebekah Jones's claims of Florida fudging COVID-19 data". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ogles, Jacob (May 5, 2020). "Beyond the veil: What mask requirements are in place in Florida?". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "'The New Normal': Broward, Miami-Dade Enter Phase One of Reopening". NBC 6 South Florida. May 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Miami-Dade targets June 1 opening date for hotels, beaches following Miami Beach vote". The Real Deal Miami. May 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Vassolo, Martin (March 27, 2020). "Restaurants expand onto Ocean Drive roadway as they reopen after COVID-19 closures". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020.
- ^ "Tourists return to the Florida Keys as island chain lifts the roadblock and reopens". Miami Herald. June 1, 2020.
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia (May 24, 2020). "What Happens if a Hurricane Hits During the Pandemic?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Alex (June 1, 2020). "Coronavirus meets hurricane season as Florida adds hotels, screening to its shelter plan". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus meets hurricane season as Florida adds hotels, screening to its shelter plan". InsuranceNewsNet. June 2, 2020. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Gov. DeSantis: Florida can move into Phase 2 on Friday; South Florida excluded". June 3, 2020. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Beaches Back Open in Miami-Dade With Plenty of New Rules". NBC 6 South Florida. June 9, 2020. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ "Florida COVID Action Website". Florida COVID Action Website. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020.
- ^ Wamsley, Laurel (June 14, 2020). "Fired Florida Data Scientist Launches A Coronavirus Dashboard Of Her Own". NPR. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Popular St. Pete restaurant closes because of coronavirus concerns". WTSP. June 16, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ Atrubin, David; Wiese, Michael; Bohinc, Becky (October 16, 2020). "An Outbreak of COVID-19 Associated with a Recreational Hockey Game — Florida, June 2020". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Janelle (June 18, 2020). "St. Pete to require all businesses' employees to wear masks beginning Friday". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Experience". experience.arcgis.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Gluck, Frank (July 7, 2020). "Florida teen received unproven treatment at home before dying of COVID-19 at hospital, report says". USA Today. Fort Myers, Florida. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "Record shattering 8,942 new COVID-19 cases in Florida on Friday". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. June 26, 2020. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Kim, Noah Higgins-Dunn, Jasmine (June 24, 2020). "New York, New Jersey and Connecticut impose 14-day quarantine on travelers from coronavirus hotspot states". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fox, Maggie (June 13, 2020). "Mutation could make coronavirus more infectious, study suggests". CNN. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Pipitone, Tony (July 5, 2020). "Florida Health Officials Say Antigen Test Results Included in State COVID Reports". WTVJ. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
On Thursday, July 2, Florida's Department of Health for the first time said test results would include "antigen test results" received from the state public health laboratory, as well as commercial and hospital laboratories.
- ^ Andone, Dakin (July 3, 2020). "An 11-year-old boy is Florida's youngest person to die from Covid-19 complications". CNN. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ Higgins-Dunn, Noah (July 7, 2020). "Coronavirus strains Florida health system as some hospitals run out of ICU beds in largest counties". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ "Miami now 'epicenter' of coronavirus pandemic, top doctor says". ABC7 Los Angeles. Associated Press. July 14, 2020. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ Moran, Lee (July 25, 2020). "Florida GOP Congressman 'Devastated' After Longtime Staffer Dies From COVID-19". HuffPost. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ Lardieri, Alexa (July 30, 2020). "Florida Sets Daily Coronavirus Death Toll Record for Third Consecutive Day". US News. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- ^ McNamara, Audrey (July 30, 2020). "Florida breaks state's single-day death record for third day in a row". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Home". Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Outbreak. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "With busiest Florida testing sites closed, new coronavirus cases drop significantly". ClickOrlando. August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Bobrowsky, Meghan; Dasgupta, Shirsho; Hall, Kevin G.; Wieder, Ben (August 24, 2020). "COVID-19 turned their Miami Springs nursing home into a death trap. The virus killed 52". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Trujillo, Dan (September 1, 2020). "Florida DOH severs ties with Quest Diagnostics after failure to report nearly 75k COVID-19 tests". ABC Action News – WFTS Tampa Bay. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ Feuer, Will (September 1, 2020). "Florida drops Quest for coronavirus testing after lab reports backlog of 75,000 test results". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ Atterbury, Andrew (September 24, 2020). "'That's what college kids do.' DeSantis wants protections for partying students". Politico PRO. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Riess, Rebekah; Ries, Brian (September 29, 2020). "Police broke up a massive party of more than 1,000 people near Florida State University". CNN.
- ^ "Florida's DeSantis may combat 'draconian' college coronavirus rules with student 'bill of rights'". Fox News. September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes college 'bill of rights' to party". Fox 35 Orlando. Associated Press. September 25, 2020.
- ^ Reimann, Nicholas (September 29, 2020). "Covid Cases Spike In Florida As Bars And Restaurants Reopen At Full Capacity". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Gov. DeSantis announces 6.4 million COVID-19 rapid tests are coming to Florida". 10 Tampa Bay. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Olsen, Jillian (October 10, 2020). "Florida Department of Health delays daily COVID-19 report after lab submits 400K previously-reported test results". 10 Tampa Bay. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ Boren, Cindy; Bonesteel, Matt (October 14, 2020). "Florida-LSU game is postponed after Gators' coronavirus outbreak". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Staszewski, Joseph (October 17, 2020). "Florida coach Dan Mullen gets COVID-19 week after calling to pack stadium". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ "Florida Reports Highest Coronavirus Numbers In Past Two Months". CBS 4 Miami. October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Filosa, Gwen (October 19, 2020). "Keys see a rise in COVID cases, with 31 in a day. Will it get worse for tourist season?". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Lyden, Meleah (October 22, 2020). "Partying During Pandemic: Florida College Students Complain About Classmates Packing Bars, Parties". WUFT News. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Delgado, Jason (October 22, 2020). "Gov. DeSantis defends Thanksgiving gatherings for the elderly amid COVID-19 pandemic". Florida Politics. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Frazier, Francine (October 23, 2020). "Florida moves past New Jersey, now 4th in nation in COVID-19 deaths". WJXT. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ "Florida health official urges parents not to host birthday parties to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks". NBC2 News. Associated Press. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Schweers, Jeffrey (December 7, 2020). "Agents raid home of fired Florida data scientist who built COVID-19 dashboard". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Castillo, Andrea; Pinho, Faith E. (December 24, 2020). "On United Airlines flight to LAX, he gave CPR to man dying of COVID-19". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Selig, David (December 17, 2020). "Florida reports 13,148 new coronavirus cases Thursday, most since mid-July". WPLG. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ Choi, Joseph (December 31, 2020). "Florida reports first case of new, contagious coronavirus strain". The Hill. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Nedelman, Michael (January 6, 2021). "CDC has found more than 50 US cases of coronavirus variant first identified in UK". CNN. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Valys, Phillip (July 31, 2021). "Florida COVID-19 cases surge to highest one-day total with 21,683 on Saturday". Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ Persaud, Chris. "Florida sets daily record for most new COVID-19 cases for second day in a row". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Jackson, Amanda (August 8, 2021). "6 members of a Florida church died of Covid-19 in 2 weeks, pastor says. On Sunday the church held a vaccination clinic". CNN. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ Lapin, Tamar (March 2, 2020). "Florida declares public health emergency after two coronavirus cases". The New York Post. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ Rohrer, Gray; Skoneki, Mark (March 18, 2020). "DeSantis shuts down bars, extends schools closures across Florida to fight coronavirus". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Siemaszko, Corky (March 24, 2020). "Florida governor takes heat for state's slow response to coronavirus crisis". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus is killing us in Florida, Gov. DeSantis. Act like you give a damn". The Miami Herald. Miami Herald Editorial Board. March 22, 2020. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ Mower, Lawrence (March 26, 2020). "Gov. Ron DeSantis won't shut down Florida. Here's who he's talking to about that". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ Evans, Jack (March 27, 2020). "900 Florida healthcare workers urge Gov. Ron DeSantis: 'Act now'". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ Florida coronavirus cases pass 4000: state border checkpoints begin, vacation rentals halted Archived March 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine by James Call, USA Today Network – Florida Capital Bureau, March 29, 2020
- ^ "Florida surgeon general sends emergency alert to phones across the state". 10 Tampa Bay. March 28, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ Manchester, Julia (March 30, 2020). "Governor issues stay-at-home order for South Florida". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Governor DeSantis issues 'stay-at-home' order for Florida Archived April 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Fox 13 Tampa, April 1, 2020
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia; Haberman, Maggie (April 1, 2020). "Florida Governor, at Long Last, Orders Residents to Stay Home to Avoid Coronavirus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Henry, Erica; LeBlanc, Paul (April 10, 2020). "Florida governor falsely claims the coronavirus hasn't killed anyone under 25". CNN. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ Rodriguez, Rene (June 1, 2020). "Gov. DeSantis extends Florida's COVID-19 moratorium on evictions for another 30 days". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020.
- ^ Lyons, Caroline Glenn, David (June 10, 2020). "Florida quietly reschedules unemployment payments, confusing thousands of desperate job-seekers". sun-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "What's open in Florida? Phase 2 begins Friday". wtsp.com. June 3, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Ron DeSantis, on climbing coronavirus case numbers: 'We're not rolling back.'". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Orlando Airport "Clarifies" COVID-19 Numbers From DeSantis". www.mynews13.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Quarantine for Floridians? Cuomo 'fearful' of travelers to New York because of COVID-19". ABC7 New York. June 20, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "DeSantis cracking down on Florida businesses not practicing social distancing, says median age of new COVID-19 cases trending in younger direction". www.mysuncoast.com. June 21, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "Ron DeSantis to bars and restaurants: Follow social distancing guidelines, or else". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "UCF-area bar has alcohol license suspended after employees, patrons test positive for COVID-19". WESH. June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ Pacenti, John. "Coronavirus: Don't report COVID patients in ICUs, surgeon general tells hospitals". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Steve Patrick, Jenese (June 26, 2020). "Florida immediately suspends alcohol sales at bars". WJXT. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Marr, Madeleine (June 26, 2020). "A lap dance with a masked stripper? What strip clubs are like in the coronavirus age". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020.
- ^ Gross, Samantha (June 26, 2020). "2 in Homestead are first female Florida prisoners to die of COVID-19, after 21 male fatalities". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020.
- ^ "Florida's bars to reopen with 50 percent capacity on Monday". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Florida's Reopening In Phase 3: What Does It Mean?". Health News Florida. September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Gov. DeSantis Announces Phase 3 Reopening, Lifts Restrictions On Restaurants". WUSF Public Media. September 25, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ Crocker, Brittany. "Fact check: Florida, Georgia, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee don't require masks statewide". USA Today. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c Dixon, Matt; Atterbury, Andrew (July 30, 2021). "DeSantis seeks to block school mask mandates in Florida". Politico PRO. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issues order prohibiting 'vaccine passports'". NBC News. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Winderman, Ira (April 13, 2021). "Heat eliminate vaccination-only seating and COVID-detection dogs". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Florida Legislation Bans Businesses from Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine "Passports"". JD Supra. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Macias, Amanda (May 3, 2021). "Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions: 'We are no longer in a state of emergency'". CNBC. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Governor DeSantis Signs Executive Order Eliminating and Superseding Local COVID-19 Mandates". The National Law Review. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Mower, Lawrence; Ross, Allison (May 3, 2021). "DeSantis signs bill banning vaccine 'passports,' suspends local pandemic restrictions". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Call, James (May 3, 2021). "Florida Gov. DeSantis invalidates COVID rules statewide: No need to police people 'at this point'". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Norwegian Cruise Line sues Florida over vaccine passport ban". Politico PRO. July 13, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Timmer, John (August 9, 2021). "Court says Florida can't block cruise line from requiring vaccines". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Politico Staff (August 8, 2021). "Federal judge sides with Norwegian Cruise Line in fight with Florida over vaccine passports". Politico PRO. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia (November 17, 2021). "As G.O.P. Fights Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Florida Takes the Lead". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Gov. DeSantis signs 4 special session bills aiming to combat COVID-19 vaccine mandates". WTSP. November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Vakil, Caroline (November 18, 2021). "DeSantis signs legislation limiting vaccine mandates in Florida". The Hill. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Izaguirre, Anthony (November 18, 2021). "Florida Gov DeSantis signs bill limiting vaccine mandates". Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Kekatos, Mary. "DeSantis calls for permanent ban on COVID mask and vaccine mandates. Here's what that means". ABC News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ Elwood, Scott; Travis, Karina (June 10, 2020). "Twice-a-week school among options considered for fall". sun-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ "Broward Public Schools Set Reopening Date, Work on Plan for Upcoming School Year". NBC 6 South Florida. June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Brodkin, Jon (August 25, 2020). "Florida order requiring all schools to reopen was illegal, judge rules". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Stofan, Jake (October 12, 2020). "Appellate court upholds Florida's school reopening order". WJXT. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Stofan, Jake (October 27, 2020). "Teachers union revives school reopening lawsuit". www.wctv.tv. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Danielle J. (January 13, 2021). "After 6 months of sparring, state teacher union drops lawsuit over reopening FL schools during COVID". Florida Phoenix. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ Timothy Doyle; Katherine Kendrick; Thomas Troelstrup; Megan Gumke; Jerri Edwards; Shay Chapman; Randy Propper; Scott A. Rivkees; Carina Blackmore (March 26, 2021). "COVID-19 in Primary and Secondary School Settings During the First Semester of School Reopening — Florida, August–December 2020". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Miami-Dade Enforcing Safety Rules Amid 'Worrisome Spike' in COVID-19 Cases: Mayor". NBC 6 South Florida. June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Lopez, Brandon (June 25, 2020). "Palm Beach County's mask mandate now in effect". WPBF. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Fisola, Gwen (June 26, 2020). "Key West cancels July 4 fireworks due to COVID-19 fears. The city's mask law also got tougher". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020.
- ^ Micolucci, Zachery Lashway, Vic (June 30, 2020). "No mask mandate for St. Johns County". WJXT. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Villarreal, Daniel (July 11, 2020). "Florida County Commissioner Who Voted Against Masks In Hospital With COVID". Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ Elfrink, Tim. "'This is no longer a debate': Florida sheriff bans deputies, visitors from wearing masks". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Austin L. "Marion County deputies ordered not to wear masks". Ocala. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c Romo, Vanessa (August 9, 2021). "Florida's Governor Says School Leaders' Salary May Be Withheld If They Require Masks". NPR. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office: State Education Board Could Withhold Salaries Of Superintendents, School Board Members Who Implement Mask Mandates". CBSMiami.com. August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Rosa Flores and Christina Maxouris (August 7, 2021). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' order on masks in schools faces first legal challenges over constitutionality". CNN. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ Choi, Joseph (August 10, 2021). "Biden pushing to support Florida schools amid DeSantis mask dispute". The Hill. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (August 13, 2021). "DeSantis softens threat to withhold school officials' salaries". The Hill. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ "15 Miami-Dade educators die from COVID-19 in 10 days". WLWT – NBC 6 South Florida. September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia (August 27, 2021). "Florida court rejects effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban mask mandates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Florida school mask fights heat up again as appeals court backs DeSantis and Biden administration opens civil rights investigation". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Diaz, Johnny (October 8, 2021). "Florida's Board of Education approves cutbacks to 8 school districts over mask mandates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "Miami-Dade Beaches to Close for Fourth of July Weekend Over Coronavirus Concerns". NBC 6 South Florida. June 27, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ Kelly McCleary; Melissa Alonso; Susannah Cullinane (June 28, 2020). "Miami and Fort Lauderdale beaches closing for Fourth of July amid coronavirus concerns". CNN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Doss, Laine (July 1, 2020). "Miami-Dade Places New Restrictions on Restaurant Alcohol Sales and Dining Room Hours UPDATED". Miami New Times. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ Papenfuss, Mary (March 20, 2021). "Miami Beach Declares State Of Emergency Over Out-Of-Control Spring Breakers". HuffPost. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia (July 6, 2020). "As the Virus Surged, Florida Partied. Tracking the Revelers Has Been Tough". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Chang, Daniel; Flechas, Joey; Hanks, Douglas. "'They're the ones who have the information.' Miami-Dade waits on Florida for contact tracing". www.miamiherald.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Florida's COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard". Florida Department of Health, Division of Disease Control and Health Protection. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "2019 Novel Coronavirus Response (COVID-19)". Florida Department of Health. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19". www.cdc.gov. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ "In medicine, a very simple microorganism that infects cells and may cause disease. Because viruses can multiply only inside infected cells, they are not considered to be alive". National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Bryan. "Coronavirus closes Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Universal Orlando Resort". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Watson, R. T. (March 13, 2020). "Disney to Close U.S. and Paris Resorts Temporarily as Coronavirus Spurs Cancellations". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "WESH2: SeaWorld to close all theme parks due to coronavirus". March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ [Miami Herald: SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Legoland in Florida close due to 'evolving COVID-19 situation]
- ^ Metevia, Thomas; Speck, Emilee (May 22, 2020). "Legoland announces reopening date after receiving governor's approval". WKMG. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Nuñez, Gabriella (July 13, 2020). "Florida reports more than 12,600 new COVID-19 cases as Disney prepares to reopen more theme parks". WKMG. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ Sexton, Christine (March 2, 2020). "Florida nursing homes urged to take coronavirus precautions". WKMG. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Sandoval, Emilee Speck, Erik (March 2, 2020). "After first cases of coronavirus, this is what Florida health officials want you to know". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Gov. DeSantis places limits on who can visit nursing homes amid coronavirus concerns". WKMG. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Chang, Daniel (April 11, 2020). "Herald drafted a suit seeking ALF records. DeSantis aide pressured law firm not to file it". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ Klas, Mary Ellen. "Nursing home COVID-19 list comes under fire". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Rogers, Nicole (March 10, 2020). "UF recommends professors move classes online; this left many unanswered questions". WCJB-TV. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "March 9 Update – COVID-19 and Online Classes". University of Florida. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "FSU shifts from in person classes to remote classes starting march 23 for two weeks". March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ "State University System Statement on COVID-19". State University System of Florida. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus update: FIU moves to remote instruction starting Thursday, March 12". FIU News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "USF Coronavirus Updates". March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Volz, Brianna (March 18, 2020). "UCF cancels graduation ceremonies amid coronavirus pandemic". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Cutway, Adrienne (March 20, 2020). "UCF student tests positive for coronavirus". WKMG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Howard (June 10, 2020). "FIU researchers think of a way to speed up a vaccine for COVID-19. Now there's a $1M grant". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Florida DEP closing all state parks to the public". WJXT. March 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Alicia (May 4, 2020). "Miami Beach closes park just five days after reopening as nearly 8,000 break face mask and distance rules". CNN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ Hinebaugh, Jonah (April 23, 2020). "Beaches And Parks Are Reopening Across Florida. Here's What's Happening In Tampa Bay". WUSF Public Media. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Marchante, Michelle (July 3, 2020). "Can you visit Florida beaches for the 4th of July? It depends on how far you want to travel". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020.
- ^ R.J. Anderson, Coronavirus: MLB Opening Day delayed at least two weeks; spring training games in Florida, Arizona canceled Archived March 17, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, CBS Sports (March 13, 2020).
- ^ Feinsand, Mark (March 16, 2020). "Opening of regular season to be pushed back". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ "Silver: NBA hiatus likely to last 'at least' 30 days". ESPN. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ NHL statement on coronavirus Archived March 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine NHL, March 12, 2020
- ^ "Miami Open canceled because of coronavirus outbreak". ESPN. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Mealey, Jason (March 13, 2020). "AEW moves show from Rochester to Jacksonville due to coronavirus". WJXT. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "AEW filming Dynamite & Dark in undisclosed location". WON/F4W. March 31, 2020. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 16, 2020). "WrestleMania To Stream Live Without Audience Due To Coronavirus Outbreak". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (March 18, 2020). "WWE Splits Audience-Less WrestleMania 36 Into Two Nights". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Papaleo, Dennis (April 3, 2020). "AEW taped weeks of television, Georgia state official attended this week's taping". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c "'Starved for content': Ron DeSantis explains why sporting events are needed now". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Wise, Justin (April 15, 2020). "DeSantis defends labeling WWE, sporting events 'essential': 'People are starved for content'". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Zaveri, Mihir (April 14, 2020). "The WWE Is Now Considered an 'Essential Service' in Florida". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "Florida media: WWE was warned before, Linda McMahon promised millions to Florida". canoe.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Draper, Kevin; Garcia, Oskar (April 9, 2020). "U.F.C. 249 Is Off After Requests From California, Disney and ESPN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Regulator opens door to UFC events in Florida amid coronavirus pandemic". News4Jax.com. Graham Media Group. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Bianchi, Mike (April 15, 2020). "Is WWE Hall-of-Famer Donald Trump why pro wrestling is an 'essential business' in Florida?". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Maxwell, Scott (April 15, 2020). "Wrestling with absurdity: DeSantis shuts down most businesses, but gives WWE a pass". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Wolf, Colin. "Pro-Trump PAC run by McMahon pledged $18.5 million the same day DeSantis deemed WWE an 'essential business' in Orlando". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "Who Tells Trump When to Restart the Economy". The New York Times. April 15, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Lutz, Tom (April 15, 2020). "'We have to get our sports back': Trump says he is sick of watching baseball repeats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ "UFC returns May 9 with first of 3 cards in Florida". ESPN. April 24, 2020. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Seminole Golf Club, one of golf's most exclusive enclaves, is ready for its TV debut". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Televised charity skins match pitting Rory-DJ vs. Fowler-Wolff set for May 17". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Pickman, Ben. "Woods, Mickelson, Brady, Manning Golf Match Set for May 24". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR adds more races, visits to 5 tracks". ESPN. May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Gartland, Dan. "How to Watch AEW 'Double or Nothing'". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Deb, Sopan; Stein, Marc (May 23, 2020). "N.B.A. in Talks to Resume Season at Walt Disney World Resort". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 4, 2020). "NBA approves 22-team format to finish season". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ^ "Group schedule set for MLS is Back Tournament". ESPN. June 24, 2020. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, David (June 11, 2020). "NHL sets start date for training camps. Here's when the Florida Panthers will be back". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Lightning shut down facility after positive tests". ESPN. June 19, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Kepner, Tyler (June 19, 2020). "M.L.B.'s Restart Encounters an Obstacle It Can't Negotiate Away". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Source: MLB spring sites to close amid virus worry". ESPN. June 19, 2020. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "After reports of multiple positives, WWE to perform coronavirus tests ahead of 'all TV productions'". CBS Sports. June 25, 2020. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Cooper Norris, J. J. (June 30, 2020). "The 2020 Minor League Season Is Canceled. So What Happens Next?". www.baseballamerica.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Shapiro, Michael. "Dolphins to Keep Capacity at 13,000 Despite Governor's Decision". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ Gsalter, Morgan (March 3, 2021). "Tampa Bay health officials say Super Bowl was not a superspreader event". The Hill. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (February 21, 2021). "Planned attendance for WrestleMania 37 reportedly set". PWTorch. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (January 16, 2021). "WWE Moves WrestleMania 37 to Tampa Bay, Sets Dallas and LA for 38, 39". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Toronto Raptors to Start Season in Tampa". Sports Illustrated. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Stejskal, Sam. "Canadian MLS teams facing another tough stretch away from home in 2021: 'We don't want to go back into a hotel'". The Athletic. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
External links
[edit]
- COVID-19 information from the Florida Department of Health
- County COVID-19 Policies & Orders from the Florida Institute for County Government
- v:COVID-19/All-cause deaths/Florida
