Wednesday s Daily Pulse | 3/10/2021
Florida vaccine supply to rise again with Moderna, Pfizer while next shipment of J&J uncertain
Continued increase in the Pfizer vaccine means Florida will once again see a jump in supply next week. The data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday nearly 20,000 more doses of Pfizer over this week’s allotment. An equal number of second doses for each of the two vaccines has also been allotted, with first doses usually arriving from Monday-Wednesday each week. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
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Florida strawberry farmers rebound after Covid lockdown caused financial devastation
Tuesday s Daily Pulse | 3/9/2021 Cash Crunch: Lawmakers challenge will be to balance the budget
Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee this month for a 60-day session that will focus in large part on the economic fallout from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Their biggest chore is filling a $2.75-billion budget gap driven largely by declines in sales tax dollars related to tourism and recreation. “The budget picture will be bleak, and funding will have to be more carefully prioritized around helping people recover and doing things that are most likely to re-stimulate the economy,” says Dean Cannon, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and president and CEO of GrayRobinson, one of the state’s largest law firms. [Source: Florida Trend]
Tuesday s Afternoon Update | 3/9/2021
Judge tosses out lawsuit against the state, Deloitte over flawed unemployment website
A Leon circuit court judge has dismissed a potential class-action lawsuit against the state and Deloitte Consulting stemming from the meltdown of Florida’s online unemployment compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge John Cooper, for the second time in less than six months, said plaintiffs could not overcome legal hurdles to pursue the case against the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte, a contractor that helped put in place the CONNECT online system in 2013. More from the News Service of Florida.
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Florida inspector general report injected into lawsuit over unemployment system
Plaintiffs in a potential class-action lawsuit about Florida’s troubled unemployment-compensation system are trying to use a new report by the state’s chief inspector general to bolster their case.
Hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office released the draft report Thursday by Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel, attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a copy of the report in their lawsuit against the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte Consulting, a contractor that helped put in place the state’s CONNECT online unemployment system in 2013.
Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper last month held a hearing on motions by the department and Deloitte to dismiss the case, which stems from the system becoming overwhelmed last year when economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic caused massive job losses.
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