Sunrise

As Election Day draws near, a cavalcade of candidates is infesting Florida. Vice President Mike Pence braved the rain Saturday to spread the gospel of Donald Trump in Tallahassee.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Pence spoke on the same day former President Barack Obama was campaigning for Joe Biden in Miami-Dade and accused Trump of behavior that puts “Florida Man” to shame.

— The former President spoke after the current President showed up at an early voting site to cast his ballot, trying to create more doubts about voting by mail. As you may have expected, Trump voted for himself.

— The Department of Health is reporting just 12 fatalities from COVID-19 Sunday, one of the lowest daily casualty counts on record. But remember: Weekend numbers are always low because of the way they’re reported. There’s been an increase in new COVID-19 cases with almost 2,400 in the past week ... but the governor won’t be reinstating any sort of health restrictions.

— There have now been more than 778,000 COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State.

— And finally, two Florida Men stories: One called 911 to report tiny aliens, while the other covered himself in trash bags before setting fires that damaged or destroyed a dozen garbage trucks.

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed 5,558 new cases of COVID-19, the highest in more than two months. The state also reported 57 more fatalities.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Gov. Ron DeSantis travels to Fort Myers to announce the end of most state restrictions on nursing home visitation,

— Donald Trump is back in Florida today for rallies at The Villages in Central Florida and Pensacola in the Panhandle.

— The ghost of the 2000 Florida recount is still haunting the Sunshine State, but one of the key figures in that drama says it won’t happen again this year.

— Barry Richard was the attorney for George W. Bush during the recount. He says Florida fixed its election laws. He’s more concerned about the President undermining the elections with all his complaints about voter fraud.

— Trump and Joe Biden squared off in their final debate before Election Day. But wouldn't you rather hear from Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry? Us too!

— Bottom Line on this election: Hiaasen and Barry say they’re expecting a Florida shitshow. They spoke at a virtual fundraiser for the First Amendment Foundation.

— You’ll also hear them sing a Florida Woman song at the end of the podcast. Remember … you’ve been warned.

Something odd is happening to the Florida COVID-19 casualty reports. The Department of Health usually updates the numbers shortly after 11 a.m. … but Wednesday, the stats were delayed for six hours without explanation, except to say the state Surgeon General plans to make some changes in the way fatalities are reported.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— When the state finally released the numbers, the DOH recorded 105 new deaths and 2,145 new cases of COVID-19. The pandemic has also claimed 1,600 more jobs. That’s the number of employees laid off by an Orlando timeshare company.

— Congressman Charlie Crist is going to bat for union workers in Florida, including the Postal Service. The USPS has become a pawn in the presidential campaign and employees are fed up.

— Environment Florida is releasing a new report on the increased use of renewable energy. They say we’ve come a long way over the past decade.

— According to the report, Florida is a national leader in electric vehicles … but the Sunshine State lags in (of all things) solar energy.

— Sunrise speaks with civil justice protesters talking about the Governor’s proposal to crack down on demonstrations.

— And finally, two Florida Man stories that include flying squirrels and meat cleavers. Don’t worry, they didn’t use the cleavers on the squirrels.

Gov. Ron DeSantis insists there will be no more school closings because of COVID-19 — no matter how bad it gets.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The Governor says keeping kids out of school does more harm than COVID in the classroom. He’s also claiming credit for the return of high school football.

— The only thing missing from DeSantis’ news conference was the big banner in the background saying, “mission accomplished.”

— Unions representing faculty and graduate students at the University of Florida are demanding answers after they were ordered back to the classroom next semester.

— Other universities are also pressuring faculty to teach in person instead of remotely in January; unions want to know who’s behind this. But they know … and you do too if you were listening about 30 seconds ago.

— A new congressional study says Florida has a lot at stake in the fight against global warming. According to the report, we could save more than 100,000 lives in Florida by returning to the goals of the Paris agreement (you know, the one that was overturned by Donald Trump).

— And finally, a couple of Florida Men lost their jobs after being accused of myriad offenses: sexual harassment, unwanted advances, a physical attack and sexual assault.

Florida Department of Health statistics shows more than 16,000 Floridians have now died from COVID-19. The actual figure is 16,021. If you include the people who lived elsewhere but died in Florida, that total rises to 16,222.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— As the Ron DeSantis administration continues its campaign to downplay the threat from COVID-19, they’ve begun talking about one way to try to stop the daily dirge of stories about all the Floridians dying from the disease. The idea: stop the daily reports and start releasing them on a weekly basis.

— Joe Biden’s running mate comes to Florida on Day One of early voting. Kamala Harris addressed a drive-up rally in Orlando.

— Early voting is now underway in 54 counties ... Liberty and Sumter counties begin today. By Saturday, all 67 Florida counties will be open for early voting.

— After years of playing a secondary role to men, women are stepping up in politics. Political scientist Susan McManus says women are now outvoting men; there are more female candidates and women are also donating more money to candidates than ever.

— And finally, checking in with a Florida Man and a Florida Woman busted for drunk driving … and drunk boating.

Early voting is now underway in 52 of Florida’s 67 counties, including all of the major metro areas of the state. More than 2.5 million Floridians have already voted using mail-in-ballots.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Florida could reach another milestone in the battle against COVID-19. When the state releases the list of deaths, it’s likely the number of Floridians killed by coronavirus will pass the 16,000 mark.

— A new ad featuring the Florida Gators attacks the President’s response to coronavirus. That’s from the Lincoln Project, a group of GOP “never-Trumpers” who are doing their best to get him out of the White House.

— Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to reopen as many businesses as possible during the pandemic, Florida’s unemployment rate went up by three-tenths of a percentage point in September.

— Under normal circumstances, an increase of three-tenths of a point in the jobless rate would set off all sorts of alarms in state government and at the Chamber of Commerce, but in the age of COVID-19, it’s just another day at the office.

— The archaeologist hired by the state to search for more hidden graves at the former juvenile prison known as the Dozier School for Boys says they’ve completed their work and cannot find any more hidden graves at the campus in Marianna. But survivors of Dozier are not convinced.

— Sunrise takes a deep dive into Dozier, where three survivors say this isn’t done yet.

And finally, a couple of Florida Men who were jailed for something they ate … or wanted to eat.

Florida’s death toll from COVID-19 is back in triple digits. The Department of Health reports 144 new fatalities and we’re closing in on 16,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed Florida is doing a better job protecting seniors in nursing homes than other states. But the AARP parsed the numbers, and they say Florida doesn’t measure up anymore.

— What makes it important is the more staffers who get sick, the better the chances of infecting residents at nursing homes.

— Team Donald Trump spends the day in Florida. While Trump was fundraising at Mar-a-Lago and doing a town hall in Miami, Vice President Mike Pence told Hispanics in Miami-Dade the choice is Trump or socialism.

— A South Florida Congresswoman says Hispanics in Miami-Dade are being targeted with disinformation, and the FBI is on the case.

— Sunrise chats with a state lawmaker who wants to name the Devil Crab as Florida’s official state crustacean. Technically, there’s no such thing, deviled crab is a deep-fried treat made with blue crab and Cuban bread.

— Sen. Janet Cruz says she’s doing this to try to lighten the mood during a very stressful time — and she’s expecting a fight from the stone crab lobby.

— And finally, a Florida Man who supports Donald Trump is accused of vandalizing a Trump campaign sign because he thought it makes the President look like a racist.

The Donald Trump campaign is executing a full-court press in Florida. The President and the Vice President are both campaigning in Miami-Dade — including a rally and a nationally televised town hall meeting.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Sixty-six more people have died in Florida from COVID-19, bringing the death toll the 15,788. That’s more than the entire population of St. Augustine.

— A new report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says state officials are fudging the COVID-19 numbers by using an unusual method to calculate the positivity rate. If they use the standard method, our rate would be twice as high, and doesn’t meet the standard for reopening.

— The latest casualty of Florida’s COVID-19 crisis is the Gator football team. Sunday’s game against LSU had been postponed after 19 UF players and two coaching assistants tested positive.

— This is the time of year when migrant workers start harvesting the fall crops in South Florida. The state is setting up added COVID-19 testing sites for farmworkers in St. Lucie and Miami Dade counties.

— According to a new poll, Trump is in trouble in his new home state. Sunrise talks with pollster and pundit Steve Vancore, who says Joe Biden has a solid lead in Florida.

— And finally, three Florida Man stories featuring crooks who left a calling card, the campus crapper, and a middle school girl ordered to quarantine because she got her period.

Florida’s daily death toll from COVID-19 has crept back to triple digits, with 123 new deaths Tuesday. That brings the statewide total to 15,722.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The COVID crisis was front and center in Pembroke Pines as Joe Biden delivered a speech aimed at Florida seniors. His basic message was that the only senior Donald Trump cares about is Donald Trump, and that the President appears to have learned nothing after contracting the virus himself.

— Biden’s speech came one day after the President’s rally in Sanford — and two days before another Trump rally in Ocala.

— Saint Petersburg Congressman Charlie Crist is trying to gin up support for the Affordable Care Act. If the courts undo the ACA and insurance companies can discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions again, Crist warns we’ll go back to the bad old days.

— Tallahassee’s political establishment is trying to convince the Florida Supreme Court to pull the plug on Amendment 3 before the election. The proposal would open primaries to all voters regardless of party affiliation. Politicians don’t like it.

— Sunrise takes a deep dive into complaints about Prop. 3 and hear from the group that put it on the ballot. They say the current system already disenfranchises millions of Florida voters simply because they don’t belong to one of the major political parties.

— And finally, two Florida Men in green uniforms were sent to investigate a traffic accident; they ran over the victim. It was good for them he was already dead.

Candidates seem to be infesting the state of Florida. For example, the President was in Sanford last night.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Democrats are not exactly thrilled that Donald Trump came here so soon after contracting COVID-19. They’re concerned he could be the super-spreader in chief.

— Joe Biden will also be in Florida for a pair of events in Broward County. He’ll speak in Pembroke Pines about "his vision for older Americans" followed by an event in Miramar where he will encourage Floridians to “make a plan” to vote.

— Speaking of voting, Common Cause is trying to lower expectations for election night. They hosted a news conference with Elections Supervisors from Leon and Marion counties, who warn it could take several days to finish counting all votes.

— Sunrise takes a deep dive into the dynamics of voting in the Sunshine State.

— And finally, there’s a new song honoring Florida Man by none other than Blue Oyster Cult.