Sunrise

Florida’s Department of Health reports 21,628 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 571 fatalities. Seventy-two of your fellow Floridians died over the past 24 hours.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The teacher’s union is asking Gov. Ron DeSantis NOT to reopen schools in May, saying the potential damage to families and entire communities from an outbreak of COVID-19 far outweighs the inconvenience of continuing distance learning for the rest of the school year.

— There are more than 1,100 confirmed cases of coronavirus at Florida nursing homes and adult living facilities. The Agency for Health Care Administration is still refusing to disclose the names of those homes, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed 12 cases of COVID 19 — and one fatality — at a state-run nursing home for veterans in Pembroke Pines.

— Attorneys for the state ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a special master’s report that says Florida never proved its case in the water war with Georgia. They say it could be the death knell for the Apalachicola River and the oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay.

— For the first time ever, the Florida Supreme Court will hold oral arguments using video teleconferencing technology. Instead of gathering at their ornate courtroom across the street from The Capitol, the justices and the lawyers will connect through Zoom, the teleconferencing software that has replaced face-to-face meetings during the COVID 19 pandemic. Craig Waters, the Supreme Court’s public information officer, will discuss the new developments.

— Checking in with Florida Man, who is apparently a wrasslin’ fan.

After an extended absence, Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees finally made an appearance at the Governor’s daily update on COVID-19.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Rivkees used to be a regular at these briefings, but this is the first time he’s shown up in a couple of weeks. The latest stats from the Department of Health show Florida has more than 21,000 confirmed cases and 499 fatalities from COVID-19 — including 38 deaths in the past 24 hours

— Gov. Ron DeSantis and the DOH are still refusing to provide the names of all the nursing homes and adult living facilities that have cases of coronavirus, but they’re sending National Guard strike teams to those facilities to increase testing.

 — A new report in the Miami Herald says Florida’s unemployment compensation system was doomed to fail because the computer system’s architecture was outdated when it was created in 2013, it was never updated, and has already reached the end of its operational life span.

— Scott Shalley of the Florida Retail Federation talks about a new effort by business leaders to provide a road map for getting back to work — called RESET: Restore Economic Strength through Employment & Tourism. Translation: “Get your butts back to work.”

 — And the latest from Florida Man, who beat the crap out of a fellow inmate when he asked for a courtesy flush.

Sunrise says goodbye to Rep. Kristin Jacobs of Coconut Creek, who died after a three-year battle with colon cancer. She has been universally praised as a force for good in Broward County politics. We feature a conversation with the lawmaker from a month ago, where she talks about life, the universe and everything — including her hope for the future, despite the political divisions that are ripping our country apart.

 Also, on today’s #Sunrise:

— Casualties continue to climb in Florida’s fight against coronavirus.

— Gov. Ron DeSantis says we’re testing more people than ever. Nevertheless, it’s still less than 1% of the state population, making it hard to get an accurate idea of just how bad the problem is. DeSantis hopes to hit the 1% mark this week.

— Florida nursing homes and adult living facilities are asking the Governor to issue an executive order giving them immunity from lawsuits for any deaths occurring during the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis has already refused to release the names of homes that have COVID-19 cases. And when the Miami Herald threatened to sue under the public records law, the Governor’s lawyer pushed back, forcing the Herald’s law firm to back off.

— DeSantis has extended his executive order prohibiting short-term vacation rentals until the end of the month. He’s trying to keep people from fleeing to Florida to escape local stay at home orders.

— Checking in with a Florida Man who really seems to hate Italians.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is presiding over what might best be described as “show and tell” about how the state education establishment is dealing with coronavirus. One thing they did NOT say is when schools will reopen.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— There is another flood of applications at the state unemployment office, but officials say they’re doing a better job getting names into the system.

— Florida set a new logistical record: shipping more masks, gowns, gloves and booties than any other time during the pandemic.

— DeSantis signs a bill reviving VISIT FLORIDA, giving it three more years to prove itself to skeptical lawmakers.

— Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association President and CEO Carol Dover talks about her industry — which is pretty much closed due to coronavirus (unless you’re doing take out).

 — The state’s Public Service Commission is scheduling a special meeting at the end of the month to vote on plans submitted by Florida’s Big 4 energy utilities to refund excessive fuel charges to customers.

 — The USDA releases new estimates on the Florida Citrus crop. Fewer (but larger) oranges are expected.

— Checking in with Florida Man, who could get five years in prison for spitting on a cop.

Florida’s toll from COVID-19 continues to climb. The Department of Health is reporting 15,698 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 323 fatalities. Twenty-seven more Floridians died over the past day.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The Army Corps of Engineers is converting the Miami Beach Convention Center into a field hospital for 450 patients; state officials say they hope they don’t have to use it.

— More complaints about Florida’s unemployment compensation system is leading U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist and Kathy Castor to call on Gov. Ron DeSantis to increase the size of the checks and the number of weeks of eligibility.

— Coronavirus is blowing up the state budget and no one knows for sure how much it will cost the state. So, some Democrats who serve in the Legislature are wondering how the governor can go ahead with plans to send more than $500 million in tax rebates to the biggest corporations in the country.

— COVID-19 is having a disproportionate effect on African American communities, so State Rep. Shevrin Jones discusses how he is asking the Governor to increase testing in black communities.

— What’s new with Florida Man? This time, he went to jail for having a Penthouse magazine.

Florida is now approaching 15,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and almost 300 fatalities.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Gov. Ron DeSantis is showing his allegiance to President Donald Trump by hopping on board the hydroxychloroquine train. A million doses of the anti-malaria drug are due to arrive in Florida today.

— While DeSantis talks about drugs, Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation is complaining that he won’t talk to them at all. Five members of Congress discuss how they are urging the Governor to take decisive action to fix and expand the state’s unemployment compensation system.

— Will Florida kids really be going back to school on May 1? That’s the current timetable, but there are suggestions that campuses should remain closed until the start of the new school year. DeSantis is saying it’s too soon to tell.

— Coronavirus has breached the walls of the Florida Department of Corrections, with confirmed cases of COVID-19 at every prison in the state.

— Good news if you like fresh eggs. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried issues an emergency order that would get them to your table a bit faster.

— And the latest from Florida Man, who kidnapped a mated pair of tortoises named Gus and Spike.

A new forecast is showing Florida has failed to flatten the coronavirus curve, which means the official projection is that the worst of COVID-19 will occur April 21 instead of early May. As of last night, there were 13,629 confirmed cases in Florida, with 254 fatalities.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— After the initial failure of Florida’s unemployment compensation system, Gov. Ron DeSantis says they’ve made significant improvements and should be able to process about 80,000 claims per week. While it’s a vast improvement, there’s already a backlog of 560,000 applications.

— Department of Economic Opportunity head Ken Lawson is under fire for the failure of Florida’s unemployment system, and some lawmakers are calling for his resignation. Sen. Janet Cruz is one of them.

— The Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court has extended the closure of the state court system through the end of May.

— Attorney General Ashley Moody has some advice to help you avoid becoming a victim of the “Zoombombers.”

— The Governor’s statewide “stay at home” order issued last week has an exemption for churches. Still, DeSantis is asking ministers, pastors and rabbis to maintain social distancing if they have in-person services for Passover or Easter.

— Checking in with Florida Man, who is the second person jailed in Hawaii after ignoring a quarantine order.

As of last night, Florida had 12,350 confirmed cases of coronavirus: 1,555 hospital admissions and 221 fatalities. Miami-Dade County leads in the number of cases, followed by Broward, Palm Beach, Orange and Hillsborough. Liberty and Taylor counties in North Florida are the only two without a single case. But the problem is — are they truly virus-free, or has there just not been enough testing?

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— New polling shows the vast majority of Floridians support Ron DeSantis’ order imposing a statewide lockdown for the rest of the month, but it also shows that fewer people are trusting the Governor.

— How bad is the computerized application system for Florida’s unemployment office? Bad enough to where the state released a downloadable template of the application, so applicants can fill it out by hand and snail-mail it.

— The Hillsborough County pastor arrested last week for violating public health orders by busing people in for church services decided not to do it again this weekend. The pastor says it was to protect his congregation from government tyranny, but the cancellation of his insurance may have had something to do with it.

— Every day, grocery stores are selling out as people stock up and stay at home, while Florida farmers are hurting because they are no longer able to sell fresh produce to restaurants and schools. In Florida, April and May are the peak seasons — especially for South Florida vegetables — and a lot of that produce may go to waste. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the head of the Florida Farm Bureau have something to say about that.

— Just another day with Florida Man: One broke into a house because he thought he was being chased by dinosaurs; another attacked the ice cream man.

Florida is now under lockdown. The Sunshine State becomes the Stay-at-Home state as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order to combat coronavirus takes effect.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— A record number of Floridians filed first-time unemployment claims last week, a number that would have been a lot higher if the state’s unemployment benefits website had been working properly. The director of the Department of Economic Opportunity is apologizing for the fiasco and vowing it will be fixed.

— Democrats have criticized DeSantis repeatedly for refusing to issue a statewide lockdown for the virus. Now that he’s done it, they say the Governor waited too long and put Floridians in danger because he relied on the White House for guidance.

— Democrats are also requesting a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 crisis. DeSantis agrees, but his order is only good for 45 days.

— The Florida Highway Patrol has a labor shortage of sorts. Three troopers have tested positive for coronavirus and a total of 40 FHP employees are now self-isolating because they were exposed to the virus or just returned from a hot spot.

— And the update for Florida Man, who has been arrested for violating the coronavirus quarantine in Hawaii.

Gov. Ron DeSantis finally decided to impose a statewide lockdown at one minute after midnight in hopes of containing the coronavirus pandemic in Florida.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The governor’s reversal is a win for Florida Democrats, who have been urging him to do this for nearly two weeks. The long delay has prompted some to begin calling him the Florida Man of coronavirus. Sen. Perry Thurston talks about how he had dogged the DeSantis right up to the last minute.

— The epidemiological model used by the White House predicts Florida will have 6,500 fatalities by June.

— While highways are almost empty, the Governor pushing to speed up some major highway projects that normally would create all sorts of delays. Those projects in Tampa, Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade and Orlando add up to more than $2 billion.

— It’s been almost three weeks since the state’s price gouging hotline was activated, and Attorney General Ashley Moody says they’ve already received more than 1,200 complaints.

— Schools are still empty as kids learn their lessons from home; the Pasco County School Superintendent says there is one good thing has come out of this — parents are more involved than ever in their kid’s education.

— The latest on Florida Man, including a man who repeatedly stabbed a police dog in the head. The guy is dead, but the canine is recovering.