Emergent
Gov. Ron DeSantis has emerged from his postelection cocoon. The last time DeSantis spoke with reporters was the day after the election when he bragged about the smooth vote count in Florida, promising he would have more to say in a couple of days.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— But instead of waiting until the end of the week, we had to wait until the end of the month. The reason was the Governor announced the state would allow students to continue with virtual learning next semester and schools would not face financial penalties. And while the number of COVID-19 cases is rising in Florida, DeSantis says the schools will remain open.
— Florida is about to reach another grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic. With today’s casualty figures, Florida will have more than 1 million cases of coronavirus. Only Texas and California have more.
— If you’re listening to this podcast, it means you’ve also survived another hurricane season; 2020 was the most active season since we started keeping records. Florida avoided the worst of it … except for the Panhandle.
— An education reform group created by former Gov. Jeb Bush is holding a three-day virtual event. Patricia Levesque with the Foundation for Excellence in Education says it’s for everyone who believes now is the time to retool our schools — and wants to get it right. EdPaloosa 2020 and it starts today. Former President George W. Bush and his younger brother Jeb are both taking part.
— And finally, a Florida Man is about to be released after more than 30 years in jail for a non-violent marijuana offense and a Florida Woman who was shot at her son’s funeral.