Hello and happy Friday.
Florida lawmakers return next week to Tallahassee after eight months --- but it won’t be until next year that legislators begin to assess the wreckage left by the coronavirus pandemic.
Florida has nearly 900,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 17,000 coronavirus-related deaths, and the damage done by COVID-19 to the state’s economy has blown a hole in the state budget. The financial hit would be worse if not for billions of dollars in federal aid.
Here's what we know: Legislative leaders have expressed an interest in enacting some sort of liability protections for businesses impacted by the coronavirus.
But what we don’t know yet is whether there will be any substantial review of the actions taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration in response to COVID-19. It's also unknown if the experiences of the past year will prompt legislators to reverse Florida's public-health infrastructure's years of attrition.
Incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, and incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, will formally take over during Tuesday’s organization session.
They may lay out an ambitious agenda for 2021, or they may just outline their aspirational goals for the next two years. Simpson is expected to push for continued changes to Florida’s beleaguered child-welfare system. He also was the sponsor of a bill that spells out (sort of) what happens if Obamacare is struck down. The measure, however, doesn't address what would happen to health-insurance premiums if the Affordable Care Act goes away. When Simpson pushed the bill through in 2019, he said lawmakers would address the issue later.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has not responded to The News Service of Florida's inquiries about what happens if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the federal health care law.
Despite ongoing criticism from Democrats, GOP legislative leaders have largely remained content with the approach that DeSantis has taken to COVID-19: no mask mandate, forcing schools to offer in-person instruction and rapidly reopening the economy.
A host of protocols designed to minimize the spread of infection among legislators will be in place during next week's one-day organization session. The measures include COVID-19 testing, encouraging the use of face masks and limiting the number of people in the House and Senate chambers.
As COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations tick up in Florida, the state could surpass 1 million total COVID-19 cases early next year. If another big wave hits between now and the regular 2021 session that is scheduled to begin in March, will that prod Republican lawmakers into action?
ETC.
Georgetown University Health Policy Institute's Center for Children and Families Say Ahhh! bloghere.
WEEK IN REVIEW
--Lab rats ... Experts wonder and warn: Is Florida the nation’s test case for COVID-19 herd immunity? More here.
--Transparency ... DeSantis still slow to share White House coronavirus task force report as Florida positive cases climb. More here.
--Disparity ... Coronavirus hits harder in nursing homes with Black, Hispanic residents. More here.
--Breathe in, breathe out ... University of Miami studying new breathalyzer-style COVID test. More here.
--Reversal ... Appeals court overturns ex-AdventHealth surgeon's $2.85 million whistleblower lawsuit. More here.
-Good luck ... Florida Democrats tell DeSantis to rescind job offer to COVID conspiracy theorist. More here.
--Help needed ... AdventHealth seeks Central Florida volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trial. More here.
--Don't throw away your shot ... Florida health experts urge caution to prevent ‘twindemic’ of flu and COVID-19. More here.
-- It’s true ... People don’t typically talk about politics in the same sentence as grief and woe, but the two are more closely connected than we might realize. More here.
--Testing optional ... Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, is requiring all senators to take a COVID-19 test prior to entering the Senate chambers on Nov. 17. But House Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, is not asking for the tests. More here.
--Good news ... Florida has made improvements in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes, according to an AARP report released Thursday. More here.
--Bad news ... Florida hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have increased by 25 percent over the last two weeks and more than 35 percent in the last 30 days, according to a top Florida health care regulator. More here.
--Blues for The Blue? ... Did Florida Blue, the state’s largest health insurer, violate antitrust laws by preventing agents from selling policies for a rival insurance company? More here.
--About those rapid tests ... U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., sent a letter Thursday to federal Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and governors throughout the country asking for detailed information about the distribution of rapid “antigen” tests for COVID-19. More here.
--Incredibly insidious ... A wedding reception in rural Maine attended by 55 guests was epidemiologically linked to 177 COVID-19 cases between Aug. 7 and Sept. 14, including seven hospitalizations and seven deaths, according to a new report issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More here.
CALENDAR
Nov. 16
9 a.m. The Department of Health/Emergency Management System Strategic Visions Committee meets. Meeting link here.
10 a.m. The DOH/Education Committee meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (877) 309-2073; participant code: 569036397.
10 a.m. The Information Clearinghouse on Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (877) 309-2073; participant code: 160608909. Email Anna.Simmons@flhealth.gov for the agenda.
1 p.m. The DOH/Legislative Committee meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (866) 899 4679; participant code: 887255437.
Nov. 17
10 a.m. The DOH/Medical Care Committee meets. Meeting link here.
Nov. 18
1 p.m. The DOH/PIER Committee meets. Meeting link here.
1:30 p.m. The DOH/Office of Statewide Research meets to conduct a review of new research studies involving human participants, modifications to existing studies, and continuing review of ongoing research. Email IRB@flhealth.gov for the agenda.
2:30 p.m. The DOH/Florida Association of Critical Care Transport Specialist meets. Meeting link here. Participant code: 91701590490.
2:30 p.m. The DOH/EMS Advisory Reimbursement Committee meets. Meeting link here. participant code: 083017.
5:30 p.m. The Board of Opticianry meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (877) 309-2073; participant code: 511376685. Agenda here.
Nov. 19
9 a.m. The Florida Board of Pharmacy meets to consider cases where probable cause has been found. Call (888) 585-9008; participant code: 599196982. Agenda here.
11 a.m. The DOH/EMS for Children meets. Meeting link here. Participant code: 224161.
1 p.m. The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Advisory Council Public Awareness Committee meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (850) 792-1375; participant code: 357972247. Email Teresa.George@flhealth.gov for a copy of the agenda.
1 p.m. The DOH/Disaster Committee meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (877) 309 2073; participant code: 742902709.
4 p.m. The Florida Board of Nursing Council on APRN Autonomous Practice meets. Call (888) 585-9008; participant code: 275112502. Agenda here.
Nov. 20
8 a.m. The Board of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine’s Physician Certification Pattern Review Panel meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (866) 899-4679; participant code 687293197. Agenda here.
---Immediately following adjournment of the Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine’s Physician Certification Pattern Review Panel, the medical boards' Joint Committee on Medical Marijuana meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (866) 899-4679; participant code: 687293197. Agenda here.
---Immediately following adjournment of the Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine’s Joint Committee on Medical Marijuana, the Board of Osteopathic Medicine holds a regular board meeting. Meeting link here. Or, call (866)899-4679; participant code: 687293197. Agenda here.
9 a.m.The Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel meets. Call (888) 585-9008; participant code: 136103141. Agenda here.
9:30 a.m. The DOH/EMS Advisory Council meets. Meeting link here.
1 p.m. The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Advisory Council Outreach Committee meets. Meeting link here. Or, call (850) 792-1375; participant code: 513684344. Email Teresa.George@flhealth.gov for the agenda.
3 p.m. The Board of Nursing meets to consider cases where probable cause has previously been found. Call (888) 585-9008; participant code: 275112502. Agenda here.