Florida's Latest News

‘There’s just too many people.’ DeSantis pressures hospitals as vaccine demand grows

At a press conference to announce three additional vaccine sites in Miami, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday blamed Florida’s hospitals for the bumpy start to vaccinations and the first come, first served system that left thousands of seniors camped outside in waits that made national headlines.

“The state is not dictating to hospitals how they run their operations,” he said at Jackson Memorial Hospital Monday. “That would be a total disaster. These guys are much more competent to be able to deliver healthcare services than a state government could ever be. We are empowering the hospitals.”

The press conference was part of a two-stop press tour to roll out DeSantis’ plan to boost vaccination numbers.

DeSantis says Florida teachers, school staff will not be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine

Emphasizing that his focus remains on Florida’s elderly population, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said teachers and school staff should not expect to be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19 — at least for now.

The governor’s comments came as a new semester kicked off in most Florida school districts, leaving many school employees wondering if they will be among the groups at the top of the state’s priority list in the early stages of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

“Not at this time,” DeSantis told reporters Monday, when asked if teachers will be prioritized for the shots.

Extended Jobless Benefits From Stimulus Package Becoming Available For Floridians

Extended unemployment benefits included in the latest federal stimulus package are starting to become available for Floridians out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state Department of Economic Opportunity said Monday.

Meanwhile, the weekly average of first-time jobless claims over the last two months of 2020 continued to exceed totals from 2009 and 2010, the last time the state faced a major recession.

Department of Economic Opportunity spokeswoman Paige Landrum said Monday the agency has started to implement benefit extensions while “working diligently to fully implement program updates.”

U.S. Supreme Court set to hear Florida/Georgia water battle

After years of battling between Florida and Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court next month will again take up a dispute about water in a river system that links the two states.

The Supreme Court last week scheduled oral arguments Feb. 22 in the case about divvying up water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, which stretches from northern Georgia to Apalachicola Bay in Franklin County.

Florida filed the lawsuit in 2013, though the two states have fought for decades about water in the river system. Florida contends that Georgia is using too much water from the system, damaging the Apalachicola River and the long-iconic oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay.