Florida's Latest News

$1.8B in additional Medicaid funds headed to several Florida hospitals

Hospitals across the state will begin receiving their share of $1.8 billion in additional Medicaid funds under a new supplemental financing initiative called the Hospital Directed Payment Program.

The $1.8 billion in payments will be made through the state’s Medicaid managed care system. Managed care plans can begin distributing the funds under a budget amendment Agency for Health Care Administration officials sent to legislative leadership Nov. 19. Those amendments take effect 14 days after submission so long as there are no objections.

The Hospital Directed Payment Program is a supplemental payment program that is meant to bridge the difference between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual costs of providing the care. It is funded through local dollars that are used to draw down federal Medicaid dollars.

Pinellas sheriff seeks nearly $5 million in state funding for pursuit course

Fewer than 10 times a year since 2016, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy has made the split-second decision to pursue a driver fleeing capture.

The number of pursuits dropped dramatically after a policy change in 2013 when Sheriff Bob Gualtieri moved to only allow a chase if the driver has committed a forcible felony, such as murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and other violent crimes.

Despite the infrequency of pursuits in the department over the past few years — compared to 2012, when there were 134 pursuits — Gualtieri is seeking state funds to build a training course to hone those driving skills.

“Even though we have reduced the number of pursuits considerably, when you do it, you need to do it right and you need to do it in a way that is safe as possible,” Gualtieri said.

Florida farmers competing for drivers, trucks to get food to consumers

While global supply chain issues are reportedly easing, Florida farmers told lawmakers this week that perishable items with short shelf lives continue to struggle in being moved from fields to markets.

During a meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee, growers said the industry faces transportation and labor shortages in getting products out of the ground and to market. They also face increased prices and delays for materials -- such as seeds, fertilizers and chemicals -- needed to grow crops.

“There’s got to be some type of prioritization that can happen in the supply chain,” said Tori Rumenik, commodity services and supply chain manager for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. “I’m just going to lay it bare. I think that getting ag inputs to producers and food to consumers is more important than moving televisions and Christmas gifts. That’s just my opinion. But we’re all in competition for the same drivers and trucks.”

COVID-19 cases rise slightly week-to-week but remain low across South Florida

COVID-19 case numbers rose week-to-week in all three major South Florida counties in the week following Thanksgiving.

That’s the first time that’s happened in the region since early August, at the peak of this summer’s case surge. However, case numbers remain incredibly low, and the week-to-week rise in cases was likely due in part due to the lower levels of testing during Thanksgiving week.

That, however, doesn’t fully explain away the rise in cases during the seven-day span from Nov. 26-Dec. 2. The case positivity rates — which measure the share of tests coming back positive and can therefore be more easily compared week-to-week — also rose slightly in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Each county saw its weekly case positivity rate tick up 0.2 percentage points week-to-week. Miami-Dade’s rose from 1.6% to 1.8%, while Broward’s increased from 1.9% to 2.1%.