DeSantis Issues Statewide Stay-At-Home Order For Florida (Updated With Order Text)
April 1, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a 30-day executive stay-at-home order for the entire state effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
He did not officially call it a stay-at-home order during a press conference, instead calling it a “Safer at Home” order, saying that Floridians should limit movements to only essential services.
The order defines “essential services” as those on a list from the Department of Homeland Security (pdf here).
The text of the order is below.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON DESANTIS, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section (l)(a) of the Florida Constitution, Chapter 252, Florida Statutes, and all other applicable laws, promulgate the following Executive Order to take immediate effect:
Section 1. Safer At Home
A. Senior citizens and individuals with a significant underlying medical condition (such as chronic lung disease, moderate-to-severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immunocompromised status, cancer, diabetes, severe obesity, renal failure and liver disease) shall stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
B. In concert with the efforts of President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to fight COVID-19, and based on guidance provided by Florida Surgeon General and State Health Officer, Dr. Scott Rivkees, all persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.
Section 2. Essential Services
A. For purposes of this Order and the conduct it limits, “essential services” means and encompasses the list detailed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce, v. 2 (March 28, 2020) (attached) and any subsequent lists published.
B. Essential services also include those businesses and activities designated by Executive Order 20-89 and its attachment which consists of a list propounded by Miami-Dade County in multiple orders.
C. Other essential services may be added under this Order with the approval of the State Coordinating Officer, in close coordination with the State Health Officer. The State Coordinating Officer shall maintain an online list of essential services, as specified in this Order along with any approved additions. The online list shall be available on the Division of Emergency Management’s website at www.floridadisaster.org and the Florida Department of Health’s website at www.floridahealth.gov.
D. Nothing in this order prohibits individuals from working from home; indeed, this Order encourages individuals to work from home.
E. All businesses or organizations are encouraged to provide delivery, carry-out or curbside service outside of the business or organization, of orders placed online or via telephone, to the greatest extent practicable.
Section 3. Essential Activities
A. For purposes of this Order and the conduct it limits, “essential activities” means and encompasses the following:
- Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship; and
- Participating in recreational activities (consistent with social distancing guidelines) such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming; and
- Taking care of pets; and
- Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend.
B. Other essential activities may be added to this list with the approval of the State Coordinating Officer, in close coordination with the State Health Officer. The State Coordinating Officer shall maintain an online list of essential activities, as specified in this Order along with any approved additions.
C. A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity. Local jurisdictions shall ensure that groups of people greater than ten are not permitted to congregate in any public space.
39 Were Tested On First Day At Cantonment Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site. Here’s How You Can Be Tested.
April 1, 2020
Thirty-nine people were tested for COVID-19 Tuesday during the first day of operation for a drive-thru testing location in Cantonment before it was shut down due to bad weather.
The site is scheduled to operate from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Community Health Northwest Florida Pediatrics at 470 South Highway 29. It is operated as a partnership between Community Health Northwest Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart and Escambia County.
COVID-19 testing is open to everyone in the community who meets the pre-screening criteria, both children and adults. Testing is provided at no cost to patients. For those persons with health insurance, it will cover the full cost of screening. For those with no health insurance, there is no charge for this test. Once the testing is completed, patients will be instructed to go home and self-isolate, or keep away from other people (even family members) until results of the COVID-19 test are known.
“As a healthcare provider who last year cared for over 54,000 patients at our 17 clinic locations, we are committed to the health and safety of all families throughout our service area,” said Chandra Smiley, CEO and Executive Director of Community Health Northwest Florida. “We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Escambia County and Ascension Sacred Heart to provide these important access points for COVID-19 testing.”
All patients are required to be pre-screened before arriving at the drive-thru testing center in Cantonment or other Sacred Heart locations by calling the Ascension Sacred Heart COVID-19 Pre-Screening Call Center at (850) 746-2684. Those who have not been pre-screened over the phone will not be provided access to the drive-through test center. Ascension Sacred Heart’s Pre-Screening Call Center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The drive-thru testing center is located at the north end of the old shopping center that houses the pediatric practice. Suspected COVID-19 patients should remain in their vehicle and not enter the pediatric practice.
There were 15 previously confirmed cases of COVID-19 in r Cantonment as of Tuesday night.
Pictured: The first day of a drive-thru COVID-19 testing location at Community Health Northwest Florida Pediatrics at 470 South Highway 29. Photos courtesy Chorus Nylander/WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate, Other High Schools Donate Safety Goggles To Sacred Heart Hospital Amid COVID-19 Fight
April 1, 2020
Safety goggles going unused in school science departments across the county are now going to help medical workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight.
On Saturday, Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas received a special request from Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Their clinical leaders were looking for safety goggles they could use when interacting with both potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients and it had been suggested that since the schools were closed to students, perhaps some of the school science labs might have safety goggles they wouldn’t need right now.
Superintendent Thomas contacted Carol Myers, ECSD’s subject area specialist for science, who in turn reached out to the high schools’ science department heads over the weekend. On Monday, they went to their schools and pulled out boxes of new unused goggles and reported their findings back to Myers.
By Monday afternoon, teachers at Tate and four Escambia County high schools had located 763 pairs of safety goggles to be donated to Sacred Heart. The hospital expressed their appreciation for the school district’s quick response and for the donations. The goggles will be put to use immediately and can be cleaned and used repeatedly. New goggles will be purchased by the Resource Group and Ascension Sacred Heart to replace the schools’ supplies before school starts in August.
“As everyone navigates this COVID-19 crisis, it is our pleasure to assist a hospital in our local medical community by sharing supplies we won’t need while we deliver education online, and I commend our science department for their quick response,” Thomas said.
Pictured: Safety goggles donated by Tate High School (top) and Washington High School (below). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Now Over 3,000 Tested For COVID-19 In Escambia County
April 1, 2020
Over 3,000 people have now been tested for COVID-19 in Escambia County.
As of the close of the business day Tuesday, Community Health, West Florida Hospital, Baptist Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital had tested a total of 3,038 people. Of those, 327 tests were done in hospitals, and 2,711 were tested at drive-thru locations.
There were 39 tests performed Tuesday at the a new drive-thru testing site in Cantonment.
Sacred Heart has tested 2,276 people, and results are back on 2,218 (97.45%). Sacred Heart reported 2,104 negatives and 114 positives (5.1%) The positives are from:
- Escambia County: 69
- Santa Rosa County: 26
- Okaloosa County: 6
- Walton County: 2
- Other Florida: 3
- Alabama: 6
- Other states: 2
There is a lag or discrepancy in the data between the local reports and the Florida Department of Health’s reports. Tuesday night, the FDOH reported only 919 tests have been performed in Escambia County.
There were 94 total cases reported by Tuesday night in Escambia County and 44 in Santa Rosa County.
Florida Consumer Confidence Is A Coronavirus Casualty
April 1, 2020
Consumer confidence in Florida has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a University of Florida survey.
The UF Survey Research Center’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research announced Tuesday that the March decline was the largest in the history of the poll.
“After reaching its highest level in almost 20 years, consumer confidence among Floridians plummeted 13.5 points in March to 88.8 from a revised figure of 102.3 in February. Similarly, consumer sentiment at the national level experienced a decline of 11.9 points,” the poll found. “This is the largest month-to-month decline in record since the series began tracking consumer sentiment in February 1985. The magnitude of the fall is higher than the decline due to Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, which is now the second highest in record with a plunge of 11.7 points.”
“The decline in consumer confidence was fueled by growing pessimism in all five components due to the economic damage brought by the coronavirus outbreak,” said Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Opinions as to whether this is a good time to buy a major household item like an appliance dove 29.1 points from 108.6 to 79.5, the steepest decline in this month’s reading. Opinions of Floridians about their personal finances now compared with a year ago decreased 8.8 points from 95.3 to 86.5.
Both downward readings were shared by Floridians across all sociodemographic groups; however, men reported more pessimistic views.
Similarly, the three components representing the expectations of future economic conditions declined among Floridians in March. Expectations of personal finances a year from now fell 4.8 points from 105.4 to 100.6. The outlook of U.S. economic conditions over the next year dropped 20.4 points from 101.9 to 81.5. Additionally, expectations of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years decreased 4.2 points from 100.2 to 96. These downward readings were shared by all Floridians with the exception of those 60 and older, whose expectation about the national economic outlook over the next five years showed a favorable change.
“As consumers stay home and businesses shut down in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, consumer spending has quickly slowed, and massive layoffs have occurred across the state and country. As a result, we observe the largest declines in confidence coming from consumers’ opinions as to whether now is a good time to buy a big-ticket item and their expectations about the national economy in the short-run,” Sandoval said.
“Looking ahead, we expect consumer confidence to decline as long as the measures to contain the outbreak remain in place. The cumulative economic losses are bringing to an end the economic expansion that started in July 2009. For Florida, a state with a large portion of economic activity in industries severely affected by these measures, the downturn will potentially be more severe,” Sandoval said
Conducted March 1-26, the UF study reflects the responses of 337 individuals who were reached on cellphones, representing a demographic cross section of Florida. The index used by UF researchers is benchmarked to 1966, which means a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for that year. The lowest index possible is a 2, the highest is 150.
Court Clerk Offers Limited Services, No Marriage Licenses, Century Courthouse Closed
April 1, 2020
The MC Blanchard and Theodore Bruno Juvenile Justice buildings remain open but have limited public access. The Escambia Clerk of the Circuit Courts office will continue to process the following emergency court services:
- Petitions for Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence or Stalking Injunctions
- Baker Act petitions
- Marchman Act petitions
- Vulnerable Adult petitions
- Adult Protective Services petitions
- Emergency guardianship appointment
- Family Law and Dependency cases in which the imminent safety of children is at issue
- To make payments and access other services, please visit our website at escambiaclerk.com.
The following Clerk’s offices remain closed.
- Clerk’s Official Records, Finance and Clerk to the Board Offices located at 221 Palafox Place
- Century Courthouse office
- Traffic Office, MC Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 W. Government St.
- Marriage Office, MC Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 W. Government St.
- The Public Records Center, 120 E. Blount St.
- The following services are suspended until further notice: Marriage licenses and Passports
Pictured: The Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. NorthEscambi.com photo, click to enlarge.
Work Is Continuing On Nine Mile Road Project
April 1, 2020
Work is continuing on the Nine Mile Road project between Beulah and Pine Forest Roads. Crews are shown placing and compacting dirt for the new westbound roadway at OLF 8, just west of Navy Federal Credit Union’s campus. The work is being performed off the current roadway with no current impact to traffic. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scammers Use COVID-19 Stimulus Package To Target Floridians
April 1, 2020
Attorney General Ashley Moody has issued a consumer alert to warn Floridians about scammers using the new coronavirus stimulus package to target Floridians. The $2 trillion federal stimulus bill includes individual payments, expanded unemployment coverage, student loan changes and much more. News of the historic spending bill is providing ammo for scammers already trying to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to rip off Floridians.
Moody said, “Anytime the government provides benefits, scammers swarm like sharks in a feeding frenzy, trying to steal payments before they can be distributed. Sadly, even before the coronavirus stimulus package passed, scammers began sending text messages to people claiming they could make a claim by clicking a link that most likely contained malware. Be skeptical of any unsolicited messages from strangers asking you to click links or provide personal information to receive benefits, and educate yourself about the economic rescue package now, to avoid falling victim to these and other new fraud tactics.”
Individuals earning $75,000 or less and married couples earning $150,000 or less are eligible for a one-time payment of $1,200 per person—plus $500 for every qualifying child 16 or younger. People earning less than $198,000 will receive a lower payment.
Tax filers who already provided banking information to the Internal Revenue Service will receive a direct deposit in the coming weeks, and DO NOT NEED to take action. The IRS will mail notices to beneficiaries within a few weeks after payments are made. Anyone who receives a notice, but did not receive a payment, should contact the IRS immediately. The IRS will not initiate contact with tax filers by email, text messages or social media to request personal or financial information. The IRS emphasizes on its website that no sign-up is needed to receive payment.
- To guard against stimulus payment scams, NEVER:
- Respond to text messages, emails or ads directing you to click on a link;
- Provide any personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited message;
- Trust Caller ID displays claiming a call is from the IRS—as spoofing technology allows scammers to change phone displays to impersonate government agencies; and
- Make any advance payment in order to secure or expedite access to a benefit.
- The above tips also apply to anyone seeking unemployment benefits under the new legislation. American workers are being hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with millions already losing jobs. Under the new economic bill, eligible workers will receive an extra $600 per week on top of current state benefits.
To receive the expanded unemployment payments, workers should file directly with the state and not respond to solicitations seeking personal information. To file for Reemployment Assistance Program Benefits in Florida, call (877) 846-8770 or visit FloridaJobs.org.
Anyone who encounters a coronavirus stimulus package scam or any other types of COVID-19 fraud, should contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office at 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or MyFloridaLegal.com.
Bluff Springs Accidental Drowning Victim Identified
March 31, 2020
A 21-year man that drowned in North Escambia Monday evening has been identified.
Tyler Foley and his girlfriend were reportedly on small boat on a gravel lake in a remote area of the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area off Bluff Springs Road near the Escambia River, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Tuesday afternoon that they were on a 10-foot johnboat when both individuals entered the water. Foley was unable to swim and did not resurface.
Foley’s body was recovered Monday night by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office recovered Foley’s body from the lake. The investigation is continuing.
Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Pictured: A gravel lake on Bluff Springs Road. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Gulf Power Plans To Lower Bills About 40% In May For One-Time Pandemic Relief
March 31, 2020
Gulf Power has announced its plan to significantly lower bills for customers amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Subject to Florida Public Service Commission approval, beginning May 1, Gulf Power plans to issue a one-time decrease of approximately 40% for the typical residential customer bill as a result of lower fuel costs.
“At Gulf Power, we understand how critical it is – particularly at a time like now – for you to have the reliable service that you count on, each and every day. We also understand that, at this moment, savings on your bill can be especially valuable,” said Gulf Power President Marlene Santos. “While traditionally these types of savings are spread out, we know that many people in our communities are struggling right now and every penny counts. We want to do what we can to keep as much money as possible in our customers’ pockets, and we believe this is the best way to provide customers with much-needed money as we all navigate through this difficult and unsettling time together.”
In Florida, fuel savings are typically refunded to customers over the remainder of the year to provide level, predictable bills. However, given the emergent and significant financial challenges facing many customers due to COVID-19, Gulf Power will instead seek to give customers the total annual savings in their May bill. Business customers will also see a significant one-time decrease in May, depending on usage and rate class.
The Florida Public Service Commission must approve the plan.