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Today's top Florida stories

• News Service of Florida: DeSantis Plan Allows Restaurants, Retailers To Reopen. "DeSantis on Wednesday outlined what he described as a step-by-step plan that will allow restaurants outside of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to have outdoor seating and occupancy up to 25 percent, with operations complying with physical-distancing guidelines. The first phase — following guidance from the White House to governors — also will allow hospitals and other medical providers to conduct elective procedures."

• WUFT News: From The Front Lines Podcast. "Jess Irby, Alachua County Clerk of the Court, discusses why he decided to hold drive-through weddings for couples looking to tie the knot during the pandemic, as well as what those ceremonies will look like."

• WUFT News: ‘A Patriot In The Best Sense Of The Word’: Alachua County Activist Terry Fleming Dies At 58. "Fleming was known as a long-time champion of human rights and a pillar in the Alachua County community. He served as co-president of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida and state committeeman of the Alachua County Democratic Party. He was formerly president of Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus."

• Florida Politics: Vast majority of Florida unemployment claims being approved. "The change may be small in number, given the hundreds of thousands of Floridians awaiting unemployment compensation. But the change in direction appears significant, potentially turning the tide on rejections."

• WJCT: Losing Your Dad to Coronavirus: One First Coast Family's Story. "Jacksonville resident Donald Haws was just three weeks shy of his 89th birthday when he succumbed to COVID-19. His daughter Barbara, who contracted the virus while caring for him, said her dad was one of the first patients in Duval County to die of the virus."

• WMFE: Clermont police officer dies from COVID-19. "The officer, 52-year-old Conrad Buckley, became ill after a trip to Boston. Buckley had served the city as a patrolman for two years."

• WLRN: South Florida Schools 'Ahead Of The Pack' In Tracking Virtual Attendance. Here's Why That Matters. "...Miami-Dade County Public Schools is finding the lowest virtual attendance rates at schools with high populations of low-income and immigrant families. In Palm Beach County, the average attendance rate for students with disabilities is 20 percentage points lower than their peers. And in Broward, high school seniors are the least likely to log on."

• Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Dorian: Models missed deadly storm’s detonation and how it stalled. "Models missed clues that led to Hurricane Dorian’s rapid intensification and stall near the northeastern Bahamas, according to a post-mortem report of the deadly storm by the National Hurricane Center."

• Florida Today: With COVID-19 crisis at the door, Florida man sings 'God Bless America' nightly from his yard. "Every day, David Brubaker helps feed the hungry and assist others in need in central Brevard County. Every night, he takes a minute to feed his soul, standing in front of his house at 7 p.m. to sing "God Bless America" and offer a musical message of hope in the midst of a global pandemic."

From NPR News

• Health: Antiviral Drug Remdesivir Shows Promise For Treating Coronavirus In NIH Study

• World: No Tokyo Olympics Next Year Unless COVID-19 Can Be Contained, Japan's Abe Says

• Politics: For Pence, Coronavirus Task Force Is A High-Profile Assignment With Political Risk

• Politics: New Information Emerges Around Biden Sexual Assault Allegation

• National: NFL Commissioner Gives Up His $40 Million Salary And Will Cut League Employees' Pay

• National: Calif. Governor Expected To Order Closure Of All Beaches And State Parks

• Books: This Is 'Creepy': Lawrence Wright Wishes His Pandemic Novel Had Gotten It Wrong

About today's curator

I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.