The Point

The Point, May 6, 2020: DeSantis Criticizes Florida's Unemployment System

WUFT | By Jasmine Dahlby,

Published May 6, 2020 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The top stories near you

• From Our Fresh Take Florida Team: Questions And Answers: Florida’s Voting Rights Lawsuit Could Tilt 2020 Presidential Race."A federal civil rights trial wrapping up in Tallahassee may resolve the question of whether felons in Florida who have served their prison sentences – but can’t afford to pay court fines and fees – will be allowed to vote in the upcoming election."

• WUFT News: ‘All In The Same Boat’: Hair Stylists, Pet Groomers  Conflicted As Alachua County Amends Emergency Order. "When Steffanie Henderson saw on social media over the weekend that a dog could get a haircut in Alachua County but she couldn’t, she was livid."

• Citrus County Chronicle: Coleman: 'Citrus County's doing pretty good'. "Citrus County residents took to the great outdoors last weekend, grateful for fresh air and sun after being cooped up for a month to stop the spread of COVID-19."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Coronavirus Alachua County: Free testing for all. "The Alachua County Health Department is now offering COVID-19 testing to residents regardless of symptoms as three more local cases were added to the tally of positive test results since the pandemic began."

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Marion County hasn’t heard from DeSantis. "Local leaders want the governor to allow more local leeway for the coronavirus reopening."

• Gainesville Sun ($): School Board agrees to buy land for new school in Jonesville. "The Alachua County School Board has agreed to pay more than $3 million for 37 acres in Jonesville to stow away for a future school, despite concerns from some about an uncertain economy from COVID-19."

• Cedar Key News: CK Election Results 2020. The unofficial Cedar Key City Commission vote count is in.

• WTSP: Don’t worry about Giant Asian Hornets coming to Florida. It could take years."The University of Florida’s extension program, IFAS, said there is no evidence that the Giant Asian Hornet is in Florida."

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Around the state today

• Politico: 85,000 voters could be removed from Florida rolls."A top Florida elections official testified in federal court on Monday that as many as 85,000 voters might be ineligible to cast ballots in the battleground state, but it could take years for the state to figure out who should be removed from the voting rolls."

• Tampa Bay Times: Gov. Ron DeSantis orders investigation into broken unemployment system. "On Monday, DeSantis said the system was so bad that the system would have been overwhelmed even in a slight recession."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): Florida college student files class action lawsuit targeting student fee reimbursements."The 16-page lawsuit filed in Leon County is aimed at the Florida Board of Governors on behalf of the students of all 12 state-run universities, with a University of Florida graduate student Anthony Rojas named as the lead plaintiff."

• Florida Politics: Post-reopening COVID-19 model predicts twice as many Floridians could die by August. "After updating the methodology for its COVID-19 pandemic model this week, a group affiliated with the University of Washington predicted nearly 4,000 Floridians could die by August in the average scenario, double its previous prediction."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): FSU mourns death of Karen Laughlin, dean of undergraduate studies. "Laughlin, described as 'an influential, tireless and dedicated educator,' came to FSU in 1982 and held a joint appointment in English and Humanities."

• Bay News 9: No Reopening Date Yet for Disney World, Universal Orlando."For the past week, government officials and theme park leaders in the state have been sharing ideas on possible guidelines, including reduced capacity, temperature checks for workers, and social distancing in ride queues."

• Sun Sentinel ($): Carnival Cruise Line to start phasing in service from Miami, Port Canaveral on Aug. 1."Carnival Cruise Line intends to start phasing in service from PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Galveston, Texas, starting Aug. 1, but has canceled all other North American and Australian home port cruises through Aug. 31, the company announced Monday."

• WJCT: Telescope Health Begins Coordinated COVID-19 Antibody Testing Program In Jacksonville."Thompson said the tests are part of a program launched Monday that is integral to getting an idea of how COVID-19 has spread across the First Coast."

• WMFE: After Nearly A Decade, Humans Will Finally Launch From U.S. Once Again Later This Month."Two NASA astronauts are ready to launch to the International Space Station later this month from Kennedy Space Center. It will be the first human launch from the U.S. since 2011."