WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville

The Florida Department of Health announced Thursday that it is sending $138 million in federal pandemic funds to county health departments to hire epidemiologists, nurses and contact tracers.

Episode 41 looks at the sports, while not the most important thing during a pandemic, they sports serve many functions in Florida. They provide recreation, distraction, employ thousands and impact local economies. One pro sports league made its comeback this week. Camron Lunn has more on Major League Soccer's MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando (01:38). The news isn't all good for some sports. While Major League Baseball will attempt to come back this month, Minor League Baseball had to cancel its season. Taylor Levesque spoke to players who told her the decision was upsetting (06:08). While the pros and semi-pros come to grips with their stunted or lost seasons, Gabriella Paul gives us a look inside how Florida athletes at the amateur levels of high school and college plan to navigate a fall sports season amid the curve ball coronavirus has thrown their way (09:21). In some counties, high school sports like football are still up in the air for the fall. But Anthony Montalto ask if there’s no football, what about the marching band (15:27)? While high schools work out the kinks on their return plans some youth sports are already making a comeback. Taylor Levesque spoke to Gainesville Soccer Alliance Recreational Director, Sandi Rivera, who says she is excited for the kids to take the field again but wants everyone to know there will be changes to the upcoming soccer season (20:12). And what about casual athletes missing their gym routines. Most gyms are open but gyms in Miami, a hotspot for the virus, are now having to adapt as they stay open under new safety protocols. Melissa Feito spoke to Tongelia Milton, executive director of communications for the YMCA of South Florida, which includes 10 locations across Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties about getting their gyms back up and running after several months of closure (23:19). This podcast serves to provide updates on Florida's response to coronavirus, with a particular focus on north central Florida.

As election officials in Alachua and Marion counties urge people to vote from home in the upcoming 2020 primary and general elections, requests for ballots are on the rise.

Of the 100 adult ICU berths at UF Health's main campus in Jacksonville, just two are open as of Wednesday morning, with 98 ICU patients accounted for.

Amid ballooning coronavirus cases in Florida, Trump implied hosting the convention in Jacksonville might not be set in stone.

Property taxes in the county could be lowered under the plan.

The Florida Education Commissioner issued the decree in an emergency order Monday.

Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Monday ordered public schools to reopen in August and offer “the full panoply of services” to students and families.

As of Monday, eight inmates tested positive for coronavirus.

One supporter of Kat Cammack likened the break-in on Facebook to the 1972 "Watergate" scandal.

For low-income communities across the country, sanitary sewage disposal isn’t always accessible and can be costly.

Darlene Vonderlieth does it all by herself.

Episode 40 explores if the state is moving backward in its fight against the coronavirus. Gabriella Paul speaks with an epidemiologist to find out if all the state's COVID-19 data is what it's cracked up to be (01:46). Camron Lunn talks with Floridians in their twenties about being something they never thought that they would be during this pandemic...at risk (08:11). Josh Williams is quarantined in South Florida, staying with immediate family after half-a-dozen extended family members tested positive following a Father's Day lunch. He explains what it's like when the virus hits home (12:34). Melissa Feito looks at cities and counties in Florida that are mandating facial coverings in public places and why wearing one is a good idea (18:12). The 4th of July will look a little different for some Floridians this year as some counties have closed their beaches to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Anthony Montalto checks in from South Florida (23:19). And with the surge in cases and stricter regulations from cities and counties, local restaurants and bars are finding it more difficult to operate. Taylor Levesque spoke to local business owners who say they are struggling (27:47). This podcast serves to provide updates on Florida's response to coronavirus, with a particular focus on north central Florida.

The new legal problems also may complicate efforts by David Biegler, 49, co-owner of the Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill in Santa Rosa, to pay the IRS and Justice Department over what the government said he owes.

Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels said he would call upon the full force of his office and gun-owning citizens.

The hold on a judge's decision puts into question how many felons can participate in Florida's primaries, with the deadline to register less than three weeks away.

A Leon County circuit judge has blocked a candidate from running for state attorney in a large swath of North Florida, finding that she did not meet a legal qualification for the job.

The issues they affect range from expanding school vouchers to increasing fines for bear poaching.

State laws, including in Florida and neighboring states, are a patchwork of regulations that tend to land on the side of corporate secrecy, more often than not.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial bill Tuesday requiring underage girls to obtain consent from a parent before they can have an abortion, lauded as one of his legislative goals during the election year.

The Republican governor called the measure “one of the most significant pieces of substantive legislation in quite some time,” but environmentalists said it falls short of efforts necessary to protect Florida’s waters.

The 2020 budget is $92.2 billion in total.

DeSantis vetoed $1 billion of the $92.2 billion state budget on Monday.

Citizens Field was one location this weekend.

Florida suspends consumption of alcohol at bars as the state's daily coronavirus count reaches nearly 9,000 — smashing the earlier record set on Wednesday of 5,000.

Scientists have been monitoring atmospheric dust on the easternmost Caribbean island of Barbados since 1965.

Episode 39 revisits some of the topics we've covered and people we've talked to over the past three months as Florida faces an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Taylor Levesque checks back in with University of Florida professor in the department of food science and human nutrition, Keith Schneider, about what cautions we should be taking when in public and any new advice as coronavirus cases rise in Florida (01:02). Kristin Moorehead has a story about what state universities are doing to bring faculty, staff, and students back safely on campus in the fall (05:59). Camron Lunn catches up with Alachua County School’s Director of Food and Nutritional Services Maria Eunice to discuss the meal program's transition for the summer (11:03). Anthony Montalto talks with Florida Virtual School Chief Operations Officer Sam Verghese to see what the school has planned for the summer and the upcoming school year (13:49). Taylor last spoke to Lindsey Magness in May when her new business, Arvo Surf & Coffee’s grand opening was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, her business is now open. We hear how she's doing (20:28). Melissa Feito discusses what services the Alachua County Library District can provide during the pandemic with their public services division director Joyce West (24:21). And Josh Williams talks with Oragenics Incorporated President and C-E-O, Alan Joslyn whose company purchased a company previously featured on the cast that was developing a COVID-19 vaccine in Alachua County (29:24). This podcast serves to provide updates on Florida's response to coronavirus, with a particular focus on north central Florida.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle denied most portions of the groups’ requests for preliminary injunctions in the case, which is a consolidation of three lawsuits, saying the plaintiffs lack “a substantial likelihood of succeeding” on the vast majority of the issues.