Marco Rubio s Inauguration Day counter-programming Trump arrives in South Florida Florida s scramble for vaccine continues
Presented by Floridians for Affordable Rx
Good Thursday morning.
The daily rundown Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 11,914 (0.7 percent), to 1,601,011; active hospitalizations decreased by 216 (2.9 percent), to 7,147; deaths rose by 142 (nearly 0.6 percent), to 24,578.
New beginning Joe Biden, sworn into office shortly before noon on Wednesday, began his term as president with a call for a unity and then quickly started on efforts to dismantle part of former President Donald Trump’s legacy with a series of executive orders and actions. Florida Democrats were effusive with praise for Biden’s speech and his initial decisions.
Fort Myers City Council votes to remove pedestal that held Robert E. Lee bust
A bronze bust of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that occupied a position of honor in downtown Fort Myers for decades has taken its place on the scrap heap of history, unlikely to ever appear again on city-owned space in downtown Fort Myers.
The Fort Myers City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to remove the Monroe Street pedestal on which the bust had spent more than a half-century. The removal may mean the controversial bust never again commands an official presence in Fort Myers.
The turning point leading to keeping the bust off city streets was an hour-long celebration of the Confederate Army hero on the day before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The local contingent of the Florida Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has possession of the bust, sponsored the event Sunday.