Florida, Collier County Governments Respond to COVID-19

If there was ever a time for voters to consider how their government is doing, it’s during the current coronavirus pandemic.

In this post, I will summarize the current status of COVID-19 and related government actions in Florida and in Collier County. Then I will provide links to underlying sources and trustworthy websites where you can learn more. I hope you find it both helpful and informative.

But first:

Breaking news

Collier County’s total confirmed cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people is about 10.83. By comparison, Miami-Dade and Broward, the two Florida counties with the most confirmed cases so far, have rates per 100,000 people of 12.24 and 15.94, respectively. Alarmed by the county’s rising count of cases, County commissioners unanimously decided at yesterday’s Board meeting:

Current Status of COVID-19 in Collier County and in Florida

The Florida Department of Health maintains up-to-date detailed information on Florida resident cases at an interactive Dashboard here. As I write, this is the latest:

Florida COVID-19 Status
3/25/20 – 3:00 PM

Governor DeSantis and Cabinet Actions

On March 1, Governor Ron DeSantis issued his first executive order related to the coronavirus. To date, he has signed a total of eight. They are:

Read them here.

Press Coverage of Executive Branch Actions

Today, three-and-1/2 weeks since declaring a public health emergency, DeSantis is resisting calls for a statewide shutdown:

“At the end of the day, I can issue a mandate, but if the local communities’ folks don’t want to enforce it, then it’s toothless,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference on Friday. He said he believes smaller measures reached collaboratively with local leaders are more effective than sweeping ones. “If you go too hard, then I think people lose confidence and they rebel against it,” he said.

Governor Ron DeSantis at news conference 3/20/20

Florida Legislative Activities

Meanwhile, in the final weeks of its 2020 session, the Legislature suddenly had a new set of uncertainties to be considered.

Related Florida News

From Florida’s Senators

County and Municipal Government Actions

Collier County Public Schools Actions

Where to Go for Objective Information

Local Journalism Supporting Our Community

Please stay safe and monitor the latest COVID-19 news via local online and TV media.

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