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THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Florida voters don't have a clear favorite in the upcoming presidential election. If the election for president were being held today, former Vice President Joe Biden would get 46 percent of the vote, while Trump would get 42 percent. The candidates are holding their bases just about equally well, as Biden wins among Democrats 91 - 4 percent and Trump wins among Republicans 89 - 7 percent. The race is close among the key swing group, independents, with Biden getting 44 percent of the vote and Trump receiving 37 percent.

Pinellas County’s world-famous beaches have been nearly empty for three weeks, but that could change on Thursday. During an emergency meeting Monday for the Pinellas County Commission to extend emergency orders, a majority of the seven commissioners said they want information for a Thursday meeting so they can consider opening private pools at condominiums and parts of the county’s beaches for exercise and recreation. One such scenario could allow residents to use the shoreline for walking and jogging, but not allow crowds to congregate in beach chairs or under canopies. Another could allow private condominium pools to open, but would...

“Until we get a vaccine, which is a while off, this is going to be our new normal and we need to adapt and protect ourselves,” state Surgeon General and Florida Department of Health Secretary Scott Rivkees told reporters. When asked to explain his remarks, Rivkees said, “As long as we are going to have COVID in the environment, and this is a tough virus, we are going to have to practice these measures so we are all protected.” There is no vaccine to prevent infection with the novel coronavirus, which causes the deadly COVID-19 respiratory disease. Dr. Anthony Fauci,...

Osceola County leaders issued an order requiring all residents to wear a face covering while in public. The order requires every person working, living, visiting or doing business in the county to wear a face covering consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines while in a public place. ... Leaders said anyone who violates the order will be fined $500 or serve 60 days in jail.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) defended deeming churches as “essential” in his stay-at-home order, telling reporters during Thursday’s press conference that the government does not have the authority to close a church and adding that they play an important role, particularly “in times like this.” DeSantis formally issued a stay-at-home order on Wednesday after days of mounting pressure. The order is designed to “limit their [Floridians’] movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.” Essential activities include picking up groceries, going to doctor appointments, and, notably,...

A deal has been reached to allow two Holland America Line ships to dock in Florida and most of the 2,500 passengers on board to disembark, including foreign nationals, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The agreement would allow the cruise line’s Rotterdam and Zaandam ships to dock at the Port of Everglades in Fort Lauderdale after 27 days at sea, according to NBC.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, issued a statewide stay-at-home order on Wednesday afternoon to curb the rate of infection in his state during the global coronavirus pandemic. The order will go into effect at midnight Thursday and last for at least 30 days. “It makes sense to make this move now,” the governor said during a press conference Wednesday, adding that he was taking the action after President Trump extended the social distancing guidelines nationwide for another 30 days. DeSantis, who balked for weeks at issuing such an order, also changed his mind less than a day after receiving...

The pastor of a Tampa megachurch is facing charges after refusing to close its doors despite a "safer at home" order in effect in Hillsborough County, meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. The sheriff of Hillsborough County says one of two Sunday services had up to 500 people in attendance. Sheriff Chad Chronister and State Attorney Andrew Warren on Monday announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne. He faces charges of unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency order.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is requiring travelers from Louisiana to self-isolate for 14 days and said the Florida Highway Patrol will install checkpoints on major roads to screen travelers from that area, he announced on Friday. DeSantis is imposing restrictions on travelers fleeing to Florida from Louisiana — particularly New Orleans, which is emerging as one of the hotspots of the coronavirus outbreak. “New Orleans is having a lot of problems — they may not be quite as widespread as New York City. There was a concern from the Panhandle that this could impact them,” DeSantis said during a...

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Democrat Andrew Gillum, who ran for Governor in Florida, and is now a CNN political pundit, was involved in a crystal meth overdose incident last night in a Miami hotel room with two other men.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/03/05/gov-ron-desantis-to-make-major-announcement/

Joe Biden (D) has retaken the lead in Florida from Mike Bloomberg (D) while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is rising nationally and dominating in several Super Tuesday state polls, continues to fail to gain traction in the Sunshine State, a St. Pete Polls survey released Thursday showed. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) continue to fail to make any significant strides in Florida, coming in a distant third place with 13 percent support. His failure to gain traction in Florida has been a reality but solidified following his controversial remarks on Fidel Castro’s Cuba, praising the literacy rates under his oppressive...

Mango season may be months away, but if you live in South Florida today, your trees may be ripe for the picking — of iguanas. Iguana meat, dubbed “chicken of the trees,” started showing up on Facebook Marketplace overnight, as the temperature dipped into the 40s. The green iguanas are an invasive species, stunned lifeless by South Florida’s occasional cold snaps, and they die if the chilly weather holds. The National Weather Service even tweeted to watch out for falling iguanas. That apparently makes them easy pickings for backyard harvesters.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of seven individuals on burglary and child abuse charges. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office says responded to a burglary at the ‘EZ In Storage’ on Tyndall Parkway on January 14th. Investigators say they obtained video evidence showing the suspects entering multiple storage units and taking property from inside. During a review of the video, investigators also saw a four-year-old child present during the burglaries.

Long before Hunter Biden capitalized on his father’s last name to land a gig with a Ukrainian company, the then-vice president’s younger brother touted his family connections to promote his business, according to a report. When Joe Biden became veep, his brother Frank Biden used his DC ties to help secure a series of contracts from Florida officials for a fledgling charter school venture he was asked to lead, ABC News reported. As a result, he earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company over a five-year period, according to the report. In media interviews at the time, Frank...

There has been a considerable amount of gleeful, even hopeful, reporting nationally that Florida is about to become a blue state, shedding the status of the largest swing state and sliding into the blue column. A few events were pointed to hungrily as evidence for this inevitability: the wave of Puerto Ricans moving to Florida after the devastation of Hurricane Maria was going to balloon the Democrat voter count by hundreds of thousands as they are American citizens and can vote; Amendment 4, the felon voting amendment passed by voters that automatically reinstates voting rights for those who served their...

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A local business owner told authorities he shot a former employee in self defense after the man attacked him with a nail-spiked baseball bat, according to Sheriff's Office records. Deputies arrested Matthew Thomas Shaler, 38, of the 5600 block of 38th Place, around 8 a.m. Dec. 25 and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony armed trespassing. According to an arrest affidavit, the incident occurred seven days before Shaler's Christmas arrest. The owner of the local flooring business said on Dec. 18 around 11 a.m. he was inside his 39th Street office...

A movement to rename Dixie Highway — for some a painful reminder of a tragic, racist past — might be gaining steam in Broward County. The argument is being made by one of Broward County’s youngest elected officials after she heard of a similar effort in Miami-Dade. The name Dixie harkens back to an era that glorified slavery and white supremacy, says 22-year-old Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Sabrina Javellana. Her fellow city commissioners agree, approving a resolution in early December urging Broward commissioners to take up the cause.

A Lauderhill homeowner traded gunfire with a masked intruder and killed the assailant early Saturday, police said. Officers responded to the home in the 4400 block of Northwest 16th Street after a 911 call about 12:45 a.m. They found a dead man and a weapon. “There was a masked gunman on the floor, deceased,” said Lt. Michael Santiago, spokesman for Lauderhill police.