COVID blues
Florida’s Department of Health reported an average of almost 100 fatalities and 10,000 new cases per day over the past week — and Miami-Dade’s new Mayor believes it will be worse before the end of the year.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— Local governments often feel like they’re on their own during the COVID-19 crisis. Gov. Ron DeSantis says he won’t be imposing any mandatory requirements to try to stop the spread of the disease. He signed an executive order prohibiting local governments from collecting fines for people who violate local mask mandates or safety measures. So much for the state.
— And at the federal level, Senate leaders have spiked every proposal for a new COVID relief package to help average Americans deal with the fallout … much to the dismay of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
— The Governor of New Jersey tells Congressman Matt Gaetz he’s no longer welcome in the Garden State after tweeting pictures from a Young Republican event where no one wore a mask, practiced social distancing or obeyed crowd size limits. He also called Gaetz “Congressman Matt Putz.”
— Key West pulls the plug on the raucous New Year’s celebration that draws tens of thousands of people. There will be a 10 p.m. curfew on New Year’s Eve.
— The election may be over, but that didn’t stop Donald Trump from holding a campaign rally this weekend in Georgia about 20 miles north of the Florida line. Trump’s rally was to support the pair of Republicans in a runoff for the U.S. Senate, but the President spent most of the time claiming he could not have lost the election unless someone cheated. He still believes he can overturn the vote — somehow.
— And finally, a Florida Woman’s arm became tiger food at the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary.