Florida just reached the highest number of daily coronavirus cases Sunday since July. With a total of 10,105 cases reported and 29 deaths, some people are worrying about a second wave.
Florida is one of seven states that have not had legislators officially meet to address the coronavirus since it started. And Gov. Ron DeSantis has also resisted calling a special session to deal with the disease.
Lawmakers are meeting again this week 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday to swear in new members of the House and Senate but will purposefully avoid discussing the pandemic. Coronavirus committee discussions won’t start until the beginning of next year. Any official decisions on how to handle the second wave of the virus won’t be made until March 2021, when legislative sessions begin.
Floridians who need relief have over 3 months to wait until they can get answers. Over the past week, one out of 378 Americans tested positive for COVID-19.
New families in need expected to stress Metropolitan Ministries’ resources this Thanksgiving
Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa is preparing for an influx of new families this year as more people find themselves struggling to put food on the table this holiday season due to COVID-19.
As they expect to serve as many as 50,000 families, Metropolitan Ministries is asking for donations of canned yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce, instant potatoes, canned fruit and turkeys.
It will take more than 1 million pounds of food to meet the demand this year. So far, they’ve made just more than 7,000 boxes, but still need around 16,000 more ahead of Thanksgiving.
People can drop off donations at the main holiday tents until Nov. 25. To see their location or to donate online, visit metromin.org.
Controversial method of hunting with dogs used to feed families during the holidays
The cost of meat has increased over six percent because of the coronavirus pandemic, so some Floridians are going hunting in the woods to save some money and to secure food on the table this holiday season.
Hunting has been a staple of the state’s rural population. Dog hunting for deer is one of the oldest methods to hunt in Florida and goes back to the earliest time of Florida’s settlers.
Dogs are let loose into the woods to track and chase down the animals to make it easier to kill them. Today’s modern technology such as GPS collars and radios put a new spin on dog hunting, but most people just like the thrill of the chase.
This form of hunting deer has its critics and has even been brought up before the Florida Supreme Court, only to have a ban or limits shot down.
Legislators and activists continue to push to rein in dog hunting but to the practitioners, they’re fighting to keep their traditions.
Credits
Anchors: Ashley Reyes, Deanna Lampsona-Colon
Reporters: Garrett Shiflet, James Birmingham
Producer: Brad Haft
Writers: Trevor Lloyd
Graphics editor: Calista Muncy
Video Editors: Trevor Lloyd
Show Editors: Demi Asensio
Associate Producer: Niamh Larkin, Nova Charles
Web Editor/Social Media Producer: Jordan Frazier
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Adviser: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
