Florida is just fine. Everyone back to work and school, going on with their lives. Beaches full (winding down from the season) and snow birds will be coming shortly, bringing their virus and $$. Theme parks are all open, though you have to wear a mask so no one is going (at least not locals). Theme park management will learn soon enough. And it will all be Ron DeSantis's fault, I'm sure.
DeSantis is saving the economy of Florida. Its a sunny day, nice breeze, humidity has plunged down to a comfortable level. Gorgeous.
"DeSantis for the win" - Voter suppression via IT failure edition Florida fights to avoid extending voter registration https://www.politico.com/states/flo...to-avoid-extending-voter-registration-1322333 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his chief election official said the state has no reason to extend a voter registration deadline and that doing so would undermine the public’s faith in the upcoming presidential election. The argument was made late Wednesday in a filing with the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, where civil rights groups are suing after the state’s voter registration portal failed on Oct. 5, the last day people could sign up to vote. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ordered the state to respond to the lawsuit in advance of a preliminary injunction hearing set for Thursday morning. Lawyers for the DeSantis administration, relying on statements from state and local election officials, said reopening voter registration rolls would cause confusion in the final weeks before Election Day, when President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will be on the ballot and officials predict record turnout in the battleground state. “Another extension under the circumstances will serve to reinforce the confusion and mistrust voters have surrounding this election, further strengthening the rampant misinformation and disinformation campaigns that are already undermining the November general election,” Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said in a declaration accompanying the state filing. Attorneys for the state said election supervisors need time to prepare and sought to undercut the groups bringing the lawsuit because they relied on testimony from two people who already are registered to vote. The state’s online voter portal crashed on Oct. 5 under a surge of heavy traffic, prompting Secretary of State Laurel Lee to extend the deadline for registration from Oct. 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 6. Seven civil rights and left-leaning groups sued Lee and DeSantis, both Republicans, seeking to push the deadline back at least another two days. The groups admonished state officials for the site’s failure, saying online registration was crucial due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by The Advancement Project National Office, Demos, New Florida Majority, and others said Broward County resident Augusta Sandino Christian Namphy, was unable to register Monday because the site kept crashing. The DeSantis administration, it its filing, said Namphy has been registered to vote for three years and has been issued voter identification cards in the past. A spokesperson for The Advancement Project did not immediately respond to questions about Namphy’s registration. Florida’s voter registration deadline, 29 days ahead of the election, is one of the earliest in the country. Lee in a tweet said that the site was only dark for 15 minutes Monday, but a surge of heavy traffic resulted in people getting error messages into the evening. State officials told the court early Wednesday that at its height the site hit with 1 million visits an hour, a stunning number given that Florida currently has roughly 14 million in the voters. In its filing, the state said about 50,000 Floridians were able to register Tuesday and slightly more than 70,000 registered Monday, the day the portal crashed. The volume was comparable to 2018, when nearly 86,000 voters registered through the website in the two days before that year’s deadline. “To suggest that the State’s extension was inadequate — without any contrary evidence — is thus empty rhetoric,” wrote attorney Mohammad Jazil, Department of State general counsel Bradley McVay, and James Uthmeier, deputy general counsel for DeSantis. After a review by law-enforcement officials, Lee said in a statement on Tuesday that there was no sign of outside interference or “malicious activity” that contributed to the site‘s failure. Democrats viewed the portal’s crash suspiciously, noting that the site has had problems before during periods of peak voter interest. All 13 Democratic members of Florida’s congressional delegation sent a letter late Tuesday to DeSantis calling on him to extend voter registration by one day, calling the initial extension “welcome but inadequate.” “Those that logged on to the website on Monday, within the legal deadline for voter registration, should not be silenced because of this breakdown,” the delegation wrote. “Nor should those who seek to vote in November be penalized for failing to become aware of an altruistic, though hastily-crafted remedy consisting of just several added hours of registration availability. “Without a robust, well-publicized extension remedy, this situation has the superficial appearance of being another example of the voter suppression tactics that Florida has sadly come to be synonymous with in recent years.” ====================================== Florida: suppressing votes since 2000!
I fired my gardener and have taken to mowing my own lawn. Bought a really nice electric mower, an EGO with a pair of 7.5AH batteries. At first I regarded it with deep suspicion but it kicks some serious grass. Even on mulch setting on wet grass. Florida is open. Florida is beautiful. I'm still waiting for the catch but there doesn't seem to be one aside from hurricanes. Schools are open but its all modulated by actual data. If there is a local problem the local school takes measures. So sensible.
Imagine that, sensible actions! My boy's school called last night. Two COVID cases. They said if we did not get an individual phone call our child was not exposed as does not have to quarantine. School would continue as normal for everyone else. To be honest, even if my son was exposed I wouldn't worry.
Welcome to the DeSantis Superspreader Event... Ron DeSantis gives Dolphins go-ahead for full 65,000 attendance amid NFL’s COVID-19 outbreak https://clutchpoints.com/dolphins-n...65000-attendance-amid-nfls-covid-19-outbreak/ Most NFL teams have been hosting home games with either limited fan attendance or zero fan attendance due to persistent concerns regarding COVID-19. However, the Miami Dolphins will now have the opportunity to fill Hard Rock Stadium thanks to Ron DeSantis. The state of Florida fully lifted restrictions on public venues like bars and restaurants nearly two weeks ago, and now Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly given the team clearance to pack the stadium. Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640 reported the Dolphins can move to full capacity. However, Miami currently plans to maintain its 13,000 fan maximum for the team’s next home game on Oct. 25. This marks a total departure from what teams like the Green Bay Packers are doing. The Packers announced Tuesday there would be an indefinite hold on hosting fans with COVID-19 rates spiking in the state of Wisconsin. Other franchises have maintained they will not host for the foreseeable future. But the Dolphins could pack the stadium by November, if they do indeed elect for the 13,000 fan maximum on Oct. 25. However, Miami might be wise to hold off, even if it means a loss in revenue. Marc Freeman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday the daily positivity rate in Florida is at its highest in two weeks since DeSantis further reopened the state. This includes a three percent spike in Miami-Dade County. Additionally, the NFL is still grappling with recent outbreaks in Tennessee, and recent positive tests from players like Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore lend some cause for concern regarding player health and safety, not to mention scheduling. In any case, the Dolphins will likely be the first team with a packed house, if they choose to allow maximum capacity.
Lost my best friend yesterday. Multiple myeloma. I wrote a long post railing at the universe and even bitching about our galaxy. Right down to kvetching about buying a house on the wrong side of the weather. Whatever. I've no friends here so what is the point? Lucrum became a friend but he honored his ban and stayed.. well... banned. Its time to collect Storm Chaser. Only I no longer feel like crossing the canal or rounding the Horn. Gonna re-rig in French Polynesia then sit on the hook for awhile in Tonga while I think things through. Need the light and space. My chain-stays are 16 years old. Some of my sails are 20. All need replacement. The living space has all been updated. Its just some of the running gear that needs work and that is best done in Tahiti even though je ne parle pas francais. I have satellite data but I literally lost all motivation to express political views today. Not sure why I ever thought my opinions mattered. Nothing matters except that you get a few spins around the plasma ball and then you are gone. Thats it. Make the best of it. Florida is good. Sort of the last refuge of sanity in America, go figure. I'll will keep this place. I don't feel chased out but rather just fatigued with it all. You folks will sort it out. My neighbor will act as caretaker. I'll fly out next week. Good luck. Try to preserve our Republic gentlemen.
Personally I think it would be good for him- build up immunity. No evidence of danger to normal kids from covid.
Difference between deaths as reported and deaths based on date of death. One is a narrative, the other is truth.