The push to get businesses back open comes as public-health experts have warned social distancing restrictions should not be lifted until the numbers of new infections have slowed or stopped and there is widespread immunity.
Economy
Covid-19 Advice: 7 Lessons America’s Governors Should Not Ignore as They Reopen Economies
We spoke to frontline experts from around the globe and have compiled a list of recommendations for reopening U.S. states. Their consensus? It’s tough to find policies that simultaneously save lives and livelihoods.
County Falsely Claims Testing Increased ‘Significantly,’ But Positive Cases Have, to 75–And County Must Send Back 650 Junk Test Kits
Flagler County government issued false and misleading figures Friday regarding a surge in testing that never took place, and 650 kits that could have enabled a surge must be sent back because they’re flawed, officials now say.
Caving to Pressure, Flagler Beach and the County Plan to Reopen Beaches on Limited Basis Next Week
After sustaining intense pressure from residents and from county officials, and with beaches reopened to the north and south, Flagler Beach plans to re-open its beach on a limited basis starting Monday morning, as would the county.
Florida Infections Spike to Near Peak Again, Flagler Cases at 52; St. Johns Reopens Beaches Partially
Flagler County Covid-19 cases are expected to spike a little because of increased testing; AdventHealth Palm Coast’s ICU capacity at 28 percent and total capacity at 30 percent. Flagler County government defends its decision to open some trails as St. Johns opens its beaches for four hours a day, with limited use.
Only 4% of Florida’s Unemployed Have Received Checks Since Losing Their Jobs
The state’s benefit checks of $275 a week remain among the stingiest in the nation. Separately, 23,801 checks have gone out to people who have qualified for federal money under a new federal stimulus law. The federal payments go up to $600 a week.
Millions of Americans Might Not Get Stimulus Checks. Some Might Be Tricked Into Paying TurboTax to Get Theirs.
Congress gave the IRS the job of sending out coronavirus rescue checks. But the underfunded agency is struggling, while for-profit companies like Intuit have started circling, hoping to convert Americans in need into paying customers.
Sharp Rift Emerges as Flagler County Will Open Some Parks and Trails Against Cities’ Opposition
Flagler County plans to reopen some of its parks and trails even though every city in the county is opposed and the apex of the coronavirus emergency is still two weeks away, according to public health officials.
5.2 Million More Initial Claims Push Unemployment Rate Past 13%, Nearing Great Depression Figures
In Florida, the last four weeks of claims totals 652,000 which, combined with 291,000 unemployed Floridians before the crisis–a five-decade low–approaches 1 million unemployed, placing the state’s current unemployment rate at around 9 percent and doubling Flagler’s unemployment rolls, past 4,000.
Covid-19 Peak Pushed Back to May 3; In Flagler, 47 Are Tested at Drive-Up Site and 400 Households Get Food Aid
More details about the first Covid-19 infection affecting a Flagler staffer at a nursing home as the county begins drive-up testing, officials warn relaxing distancing measures, and Palm Coast launches its Rise-Up Palm Coast initiative.
Covid-19 Tempers: How Palm Coast Residents With No Prior Records Are Ending Up In Jail on Domestic Violence Charges
Even as the sheriff stresses de-escalation before arrests, ordinary family members are losing tempers and acting violently at home in collateral consequences of the coronavirus emergency, as this weekend’s repeated examples from Palm Coast illustrate.
Oceanfront Property Owners Want Beach Closure Lifted. Federal Judge Says No.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, argued that the ordinance is unconstitutional on a series of grounds, including that it violates privacy and due-process rights.
Luxury Pet Grooming Spa Opens in Palm Coast
Shawn Crosby is pleased to announce that he has opened Bubble Pup Grooming Spa, a luxury pet spa, in Palm Coast along with his mother and father – David Crosby and Vicky Crosby, and sister Ashton Shoemaker.
1st Infection in Flagler Nursing Home; Flagler Opens Covid Testing Site at DSC Tuesday; Big Food Drop For Needy at FPC
Flagler opens its first drive-up Covid-19 testing site Tuesday and organizes a major food drop as infection numbers appear to be slowing but local officials say it’s still important to “stay the course” on distancing.
Florida Food Stamps Recipients Cleared to Order Online
Low-income people in the state’s major food-assistance program will be able to make online grocery purchases to help protect them from the spread of COVID-19.
How Do We Exit The Shutdown? Hire An Army Of Public Health Workers
The pandemic has exposed massive cracks in the foundations of the U.S. public health system. Getting the country back to normal, experts say, will require a major investment in Public Health 101: training a corps of workers who can track people with the virus and prevent them from passing it to others.
Coronavirus Traffic Lull Is Accelerating Work on I-4’s Widening Project, Now Nearly a Year behind Schedule
The $2.3 billion project is more than 250 days behind schedule. Sections of the massive Interstate 4 “Ultimate” project will see accelerated work as the state takes advantage of a coronavirus-created reduction in traffic.
Florida Seeing Over 1,000 New Infections a Day as Federal, State and Local Officials Send Clashing Messages
The largest spike of coronavirus cases yet in Flagler-Palm Coast was on Thursday, with seven cases confirmed just that day, for a total of 44. Most of the new cases are the result of local, or community, transmission.
Ex-Employee and “Family Friend” of Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach Charged With Burglarizing the Business
Jason Charles Mesagaes Jr., a 19-year-old resident of Faith Lane in Palm Coast, had left drops of blood at the Sally’s Ice Cream window he’d allegedly broken to get in, enabling police to trace back the burglary to him.
Crush of Initial Claims Push U.S. Unemployment Rate Past 10%, Florida’s Past 7% and Rising
Initial unemployment claims totaled 6.6 million for the week ending April 4 across the nation, and 169,885 in Florida. In the last three weeks, initial claims have totaled 16.8 million in a labor force of 163 million. That equates to an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent, a rate never reached during the Great Recession.
It Was Never a Strong Economy For the Working Poor. Now’s the Time to Change That.
The coronavirus crisis is laying bare how record low unemployment and a booming stock market helped conceal the still weak levels of household wealth, public infrastructure, and overall socio-economic fragility of most Americans.
Flagler County at Risk of Losing $6 Million in State Funds, Jeopardizing Army Corps Dunes Project in Flagler Beach
Flagler County is at risk of losing a $6 million state grant for the planned 2.6-mile beach-reconstruction project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Flagler Beach. The federal government is $11.3 million of the $17.5 million project. The project is predicated on Flagler County assuming the remaining $6.1 million. Flagler government’s chief engineer, […]
As Florida’s Unemployment Compensation System Collapses, DeSantis Tries to Focus on Improvements
Hundreds of call center operators are being rushed through training, paper applications are being made available and dozens of computer servers were brought from Orlando over the weekend to boost the online system’s capacity.
Flagler Donors Show Their Love For Hospital “Heroes” as AdventHealth Opens Hubs for Covid-19 Contributions
Flagler Beach’s Wanda Dearth is among those organizing drives for cash, food, masks and other items for front-line health workers and others, while AdventHealth has launched a hub facilitating contributions.
Drive-In Testing Location Coming to Flagler as Local Cases Reach 34, State Peak Expected on April 21
Previous models had shown the Coronavirus pandemic peaking in Florida the first week of May. The earlier projected peak would mean 3,000 fewer hospitalizations statewide, and a few hundred less ICU-level patients, as well as fewer deaths. But models can change.
Seeing Apex of Covid Crisis Still Ahead, Flagler Officials Will Not Yet Reopen Beaches Even For Limited Access
Flagler County government officials are under pressure to at least partially reopen the beaches on the Volusia model, where walking, swimming and surfing is allowed, but they cite several reasons why that would be ill-advised for a few weeks yet.
At AdventHealth, 15 Ventilators and Plans for 66 ICU Rooms; Local Officials Prepare for Surge and Promised Tests Don’t Show
As confirmed Flagler County Covid-19 cases reach 28 Friday evening, local health officials are now stopping short of using reassuring language, saying the worst is yet to come, while various shifts point to the increasing severity of the pandemic.
Coronavirus Kills Longest Economic Expansion On Record With 701,000 Job Loss in March, Much Worse to Come
The longest economic expansion on record, a 113-month streak that netted 22 million jobs between October 2010 and February 2020, is over. The economy shed 701,000 jobs in March and the number of unemployed persons grew by 1.4 million.
Citing Emergency Powers, DeSantis Wants Lawsuit Disputing Beach Closures Tossed Out
The lawsuit was filed by Santa Rosa Beach lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder amid debate about whether groups of beachgoers — including spring break crowds of college students — have worsened the spread of COVID-19, the deadly respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Flagler’s 1st Covid-19 Fatality: Flagler Beach’s Dorothy Strickland Dies at Halifax Hospital; Was Denied Test Locally
Dorothy Strickland, 70, died Wednesday afternoon of Coronavirus at Daytona Beach’s Halifax hospital after she had been told she didn’t meet testing criteria in Flagler County. Her last two weeks were an ordeal.
DeSantis Orders Stay-at-Home Across Florida, Limiting Activity to All But Essential Services for 30 Days; Palm Coast Holds Virtual Town Hall
Speaking from his office shortly after 1 p.m. today, Gov. Ron DeSantis today said he is issuing an executive order requiring all Floridians to stay at home except to seek “essential services” for the next 30 days.
Flagler’s Covid-Emergency Officials Want More Testing and Uniform Orders But Can’t Say When Either Will Happen
Flagler County’s first-ever virtual news conference revealed the fissures between the state’s patchwork approach to stay-at-home orders and local officials’ desire for more. And it underscored a persistent lack of sufficient testing that would enable health officials to conduct broader surveillance testing and better grasp the true extent of infections locally.
Flagler Cases Rise to 13, Including 17-Year-Old Girl; Florida’s Near 5,500; Social Distancing Extended To May 1
Despite the rising numbers, Flagler County continues to be among the counties where testing has lagged, with a mere 143 tests conducted in total, many of them through the Flagler Department of Health and some at AdventHealth Palm Coast.
Stay Home. And Be Angry.
It’s important to remember we’re doing this in part because the people at the top screwed up. Meanwhile, millions are losing jobs, while others put themselves at risk working outside the home because they can’t afford not to.
California’s Experience: Public Health Officials Warn That Unenforced Stay-At-Home Orders Don’t Work
One week into the lockdown, epidemiologists tracking rates of transmission in California and the United States worry that California’s shelter-in-place order is less effective in controlling new infections without stronger enforcement. Local lawmakers and public health officers share their concern and some are exercising their policing powers.
DeSantis Suspends Vacation Rentals for 2 Weeks and Adds Louisiana to Quarantine List, With Cop Checkpoints
To enforce the Louisiana restrictions, DeSantis said he would authorize the Florida Highway Patrol and local enforcement agencies to establish checkpoints at Florida entry areas along roads such as Interstate 10. The restrictions would not affect commercial drivers.
Palm Coast Data Battles Eviction Lawsuit and Calls “Fraud” on Landlord and Former Owners, Casting Pall on 600 Jobs
Both the lawsuit and Palm Coast Data’s answers combine to paint a grim picture for one of Palm Coast’s largest employers, months after losing a major account and now facing yet another major blow from the coming economic consequences of the public health emergency.
Hospital Prepares for “Surge” as Flagler’s Covid Cases Jump to 11; Palm Coast Offers Community Center for Overflow
With infection numbers rising locally and across the state and indications of less rigorous adherence with social distancing rules, Jonathan Lord, the county’s emergency management chief, hinted that more stringent restrictions could be ahead.
Flagler Was Among U.S.’ 100-Fastest Growing Counties in Last 10 Years; Population of 115,000 Aged Sharply
Now with a population of 115,000, more than 12,000 of the net new arrivals over the decade were in the 65-and-older group, with implications for local health care, social services, schools, even politics.
Half-Measures Harm: Lock-Down Flagler and Florida Now. Test Everyone.
The only option to buy time and minimize coronavirus deaths until universal testing is available is to enforce a lock-down, without which voluntary half-measures will only prolong harm to the economy and increase the death toll.
No-Go Orders On Flagler’s 18 Miles of Beaches: Some Defiance in County, ‘Stellar’ Compliance in Flagler Beach
A few people were defying the coronavirus-inspired order to stay off Flagler’s beaches in the mistaken belief that their were on their own private property, but on the whole people were complying well.
Labor Groups Plead: Florida’s $275-a-Week Unemployment Checks, Among Lowest in Nation, Aren’t Enough
Union representatives and workers warned of a “massive wave of unemployment” hitting the state as they called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to expand jobless benefits.
DeSantis Faces Sharp Criticism for Not Ordering Sheltering In Place as Virus Mutates Partisan Divide
DeSantis has issued a series of executive orders aimed at voluntarily limiting face-to-face interactions but has avoided a more hardline statewide approach, citing concerns about intensifying the virus’ negative impact on the state’s economy.
School District Has 1st Covid-19 Case; Flagler Has 5; All Over 65 Told to Stay Home 14 Days; Testing Not Necessary for Most
A Flagler County school district employee has tested positive for Covid-19 as local health officials continue to stress that testing for is not necessary for most, even those showing flu-like symptoms that don’t involve respiratory difficulties, but staying in place is necessary.
Concerns About Hammock Beach Resort’s Activity as Governor Orders Air Travelers From ‘Hot Spot’ Quarantined
Hammock Beach residents have written the Palm Coast mayor and called into the city, claiming visitors and groups at the resort are still gathering and potentially placing local residents at risk. The resort says the claims are inaccurate, and that it is taking all precautions in line with rules and recommendations.
Flagler Cases Up to 4; Woman Treated for Covid-19 at Advent Is Released, But Her Son, an FPC Student, Tests Positive
Tuesday was proving to be a day of mixed signals, with resilience and fortitude competing with challenges and more dispiriting numbers as various segments of society were rapidly adapting to life under different degrees of restrictions and still often unclear expectations.
CDC Bungling of Coronavirus Testing Likely To Haunt Nation For Months To Come
The CDC distributed just 200 tests roughly equally to 100 public health labs in all 50 states in early February. That decision presaged weeks of chaos, in which the availability of COVID-19 tests seemed oddly out of sync with where testing was needed.
Flagler Beach Police Officer Tests Positive for Covid-19, City Manager Larry Newsom in ‘Self-Isolation’
A 45-year-old Flagler Beach police officer has tested positive for Covid-19. In an unrelated development, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom fell ill and has been in self-isolation at his home since this morning. The police department is monitoring itself but is not in isolation.
Flagler Covid-19 Cases Up to 3 as Health Department Kicks In ‘Contact Tracing’ and Palm Coast Hunkers Down
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Flagler is now three, Department of Health figures indicate in the daily, midday update, up from one the evening before, as the department is tracing down who patients have had contact with, and where.
72-Year-Old Flagler Woman Tests Positive for Covid-19 As Florida Cases Vault Past 1,000
A 72-year-old Flagler County woman has tested positive for Covid-19, according to the Department of Health’s latest tally, with Florida cases reaching 1,007, doubling since Friday.