Hard hit
The fiscal impact of the COVID-19 crisis is starting to add up. State tax collections were down by more than $750 million in March.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— Gov. Ron DeSantis is using his bully pulpit to defend the state’s unemployment system. Well, not quite “defend.” The Governor admits it's a crappy system that was designed to fail but insists he is making it work.
— That’s not good enough for Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. She’s demanding a formal investigation into potential mismanagement of Florida’s unemployment system
— As the death toll rises at nursing homes and adult living facilities, a south Florida Congressman says it’s time for Donald Trump and DeSantis to do a better job protecting seniors from coronavirus and be more honest about what’s really going on behind closed doors at senior care facilities
— Sen. José Javier Rodriguez talks about entering Phase One of reopening the state but warns that the people making those decisions are not looking out for the best interests of workers, small businesses, or local communities.
— Florida Man has been active: One dressed up as the Grim Reaper to protest reopening the beaches. Another shot and killed a man when he was a teenager, he’s now a South Florida sheriff.