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State To Start Fining Businesses $5,000 for Violations of Vaccine Passport Ban

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The Florida Department of Health has issued a notice indicating it will start issuing $5,000 fines to businesses, schools, and government agencies that require Floridians to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The health department rule, which goes into effect on Sept. 16, details the penalties that businesses and other entities, including nonprofits, face for violating section 381.00316 of the 2021 Florida Statutes, which prohibits them from requiring customers or patrons to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or postinfection recovery in order to gain access to their premises or services.

“Each violation of Section 381.00316, F.S., will result in the imposition of a $5,000 fine per individual and separate violation against the business, governmental entity or the educational institution. Fines imposed are due and payable to the Department within 30 days of entry of the final order unless otherwise stated in the final order,” reads the Florida Department of Health notice.

Health care providers are exempt from the fine, which also does not apply to vaccine requirements businesses or other entities impose on their own employees.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order in April that banned vaccine passports. (Read more from “State To Start Fining Businesses $5,000 for Violations of Vaccine Passport Ban” HERE)

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Florida Withholds Funds From Districts With Mask Mandates

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Florida’s Department of Education announced that it was withholding funds from two school districts over their mask mandates.

Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced Monday that the department has withheld funds in the amount of monthly school board member salaries from Alachua and Broward county districts for implementing mask mandates that parents do not have the option to opt out of, violating a state order.

The withholding of funds will continue monthly “until each school board complies with state law and rules,” the statement said.

The announcement comes as the state battles with school districts over imposing mask mandates, in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). As of last week, 10 districts accounting for more than half of the state’s enrollment have imposed mask mandates.

Earlier this month, Florida’s board of education voted to investigate Broward and Alachua and several weeks ago requested a list of annual salaries of all school board members in both counties. The Florida Department of Education said it would be withholding 1/12th of the amount each month from the district’s funds. (Read more from “Florida Withholds Funds From Districts With Mask Mandates” HERE)

Photo Credit: https://foto.wuestenigel.com/female-holding-a-bunch-of-used-face-masks/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/50632488756

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Judge Blocks DeSantis From Banning School Mask Mandates

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School districts in Florida will be allowed to impose mask requirements after a district judge on Friday blocked an executive order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) banning the mandates.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled in favor of a group of parents who sued DeSantis over his executive order, arguing it was unconstitutional. He ruled the order is “without legal authority” and is by definition “arbitrary” and “capricious.”

Cooper issued an injunction stopping the Department of Education from taking any action against local districts that require masks in schools without a parental opt-out.

Cooper said the state’s new “Parents’ Bill of Rights” does not allow the governor or the Department of Education to prohibit school districts from mandating masks.

“The law expressly permits school boards to adopt policies regarding the health care of students, such as a mask mandate, even if a parent disagrees,” Cooper said. “Parents’ rights are very important, but they are not without some reasonable limitations.” (Read more from “Judge Blocks DeSantis From Banning School Mask Mandates” HERE)

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/33090892716

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DeSantis Blasts Mask Mandates: ‘Piece of Cloth Is Not Going to Stop the Aerosols’

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dismissed the need for mask mandates in the Sunshine State on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of personal liberty while reminding reporters of scientific research showing cloth and surgical masks are relatively ineffective in blocking the transmission of exhaled aerosols.

During a press conference in The Villages on Wednesday during which the governor announced the opening of another monoclonal antibody treatment center, a reporter asked DeSantis to explain his position on the role masks play in addressing the pandemic.

“They should not be mandated. No government entity should force you to do that. That is your choice. If that’s something you believe provides you protection, no one is going to say anything to you. But that should not, absolutely not be mandated,” DeSantis said, adding that such mandates “obviously” cannot occur in the state of Florida under his leadership and that it is his view that masking should remain a personal choice. . .

“I will say that from a scientific perspective, you have, even some of these experts now are acknowledging, with an aerosolized virus, a piece of cloth is not going to stop the aerosols,” DeSantis said:

When they started doing the masks last year, the thought was it was respiratory droplets, and so the respiratory droplets, maybe you could intercept some. When you’re starting to talk about aerosol transmission — something that’s very highly contagious — just understand. An N95, a medical mask, you know, that will intercept some of the aerosols. But just a piece of cloth is not going to do that. Osterholm, one of Biden’s advisers, has acknowledged that. You got other people who are acknowledging that.

(Read more from “DeSantis Blasts Mask Mandates: ‘Piece of Cloth Is Not Going to Stop the Aerosols’” HERE)

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Governor Punches Back At Biden After White House Attacked Florida’s COVID Policies (VIDEO)

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ripped into President Joe Biden for the ongoing border crisis and surge in COVID-19 cases among illegal immigrants on Wednesday shortly after the White House took shots at the Republican leader and his state over rising virus cases and hospitalizations.

“Why don’t you do your job? Why don’t you get this border secure and until you do that, I don’t want to hear a blip about COVID from you,” DeSantis said. His comments were met with applause.

While the White House fails to address the record number of illegal aliens who continue to pour across the U.S. border without being tested for COVID-19, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pledged to keep calling out Republican states that she claims are hampering the administration’s efforts to mitigate the virus. Psaki claimed the decision to pressure these states is “not meant to be political.”

(Read more from “Governor Punches Back At Biden After White House Attacked Florida’s COVID Policies” HERE)

Heartbreaking: Young Children Among Latest Victims of Florida Condo Collapse (VIDEO)

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Three children ages 5 to 9 were among the latest victims found in the rubble of last month’s tragic Florida condo building collapse, which has so far left 94 confirmed dead.

Two of the three youngsters identified Sunday are the nieces of Paraguayan first lady Silvana Lopez Moreira: Alexia Maria Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 9, and her 6-year-old sister, Anna Sophia Pettengill Lopez Moreira, police said on Facebook.

Lorenzo De Oliveira Leone, 5, was also among the 10 new victims ID’ed Sunday.

The Paraguayan first lady’s sister, Sophia Lopez Moreira, and her brother-in-law, Luis Pettengill, were found in the ruins earlier, along with their youngest son, 3-year-old Luis Lopez Moreira.

The grim news is the latest blow to grieving relatives who remain housed in a nearby hotel while they wait for victims to be recovered and identified.

(Read more from “Heartbreaking: Young Children Among Latest Victims of Florida Condo Collapse (VIDEO)” HERE)

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WATCH: Woman Goes Ballistic in an Airport in Wild Viral Video

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A woman at an airport in Florida lost her mind in a video making the rounds on the internet.

In an Instagram video shared by @onlyinfloridaa, a woman allegedly on the no-fly list went ballistic on staff at the Orlando Airport and started trashing stuff.

Of all the videos you see on the internet today, I can pretty much promise that this one will be the craziest. Give it a watch below.

(Read more from “WATCH: Woman Goes Ballistic in an Airport in Wild Viral Video” HERE)

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10 More Bodies Found In Florida Condo Collapse

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Rescue crews pulled 10 more bodies from a collapsed condo building Wednesday, and the emotional toll mounted as officials fought back tears and lamented the ordeal of exhausted families still awaiting word on missing loved ones.

The 14th day of the search yielded the highest number of bodies found in a single day and pushed the death toll up to 46.

During a news conference, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava repeatedly tried not to weep, paused and shook her head as she described the effect of the tragedy on rescue workers and the families of the victims. (Read more from “10 More Bodies Found In Florida Condo Collapse” HERE)

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Four More Bodies Found in Surfside Condo Collapse (VIDEO)

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Florida officials on Tuesday said four more bodies had been recovered from the site of the Surfside condominium collapse, bringing the death toll up to 32 people.

“Through the team’s ongoing efforts we have recovered four additional victims. The number of confirmed deaths is now 32, with 26 of those identified,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) said during a press briefing.

According to Cava, 191 people are accounted for and 113 people are still unaccounted for. . .

The remainder of the Champlain Towers South condominium building was demolished over the weekend due to concerns about the building’s structural integrity and incoming Tropical Storm Elsa. (Read more from “Four More Bodies Found in Surfside Condo Collapse (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Tragic Condo Collapse Death Toll Hits 28, 117 People Unaccounted (VIDEO)

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The death toll in the Florida building collapse climbed to 28 on Monday, as officials warned foul weather from Tropical Storm Elsa was beginning to hamper search efforts.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said 117 people still remain unaccounted for at the site.

“The bad weather, unfortunately, has caused some temporary pauses of the work, specifically lightning, which, as you know, is not safe for conducting the search effort,” Cava said. “It does force us to stop to protect the safety of our first responders.”

The death toll rose when another body was recovered Monday afternoon. Three other bodies had found overnight.

Cava said rescue teams will continue to work as they are able and have now removed 4.8 million pounds of concrete. (Read more from “Tragic Condo Collapse Death Toll Hits 28, 117 People Unaccounted (VIDEO)” HERE)

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