Tag Archives: Miami

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: An emerging hospital capacity crunch is prompting cities in Miami-Dade County to release new counter-measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. Miami on Wednesday boosted the penalties for people caught not wearing facial coverings in public. The first offense is a $50 fine, second offense is $100, third is $500 and any additional offenses comes …

Politico reports: Miami’s Republican Mayor Francis Suarez refused to commit on Wednesday to voting for President Donald Trump in November. “I want to see what both candidates have to offer for the urban communities before making up my mind on who I’m going to support,” Suarez said in an interview with POLITICO Nightly author Renuka Rayasam. The non-committal answer from …

The New York Times reports: Poolside at President Trump’s resort near Miami, dozens of guests sunned on lounge chairs and chatted in cabanas. Golfers fanned out across multiple courses, and the hotel lobby hummed with activity for the first time in months. But the reopening of Trump National Doral, the most important source of revenue for the president’s strained family …

Complex reports: It’s been two months since the cruise industry closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than 100,000 workers are still trapped on ships, with many going unpaid. According to the Miami Herald, crew members don’t know when they’ll be able to go home. While cruises allowed most passengers to disembark the ships, employees have been left …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Mayor Carlos Gimenez released Miami-Dade County’s new guidelines on Wednesday afternoon aiming to reopen some nonessential businesses on Monday. The 184-page document is a proposal that Gimenez sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis in an effort to allow some people to get back to work. DeSantis still has to approve Gimenez’s plan. DeSantis’ first reopening order …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: A man who was stopped at a Miami Beach Publix for not wearing a mask was caught on body camera footage going on a profanity-laced rant. On Sunday night, just before the Publix closed, an unidentified man was denied entrance to the store. And it set him off. “You are in violation of my f—— …

Miami’s CBS News affiliate reports: On Wednesday, Miami-Dade and Broward counties began the first phase of what could be a long process of re-opening South Florida. Most parks, waterways, boat ramps, and other public areas have reopened to residents who spent weeks staying at home and social distancing. The re-opening, however, comes with a lot of restrictions. Everyone must wear …

The Miami Herald reports: About 6 percent of Miami-Dade’s population — about 165,000 residents — have antibodies indicating a past infection by the novel coronavirus, dwarfing the state health department’s tally of about 10,600 cases, according to preliminary study results announced by University of Miami researchers Friday. The study, spurred by Miami-Dade County officials, will be an ongoing weekly survey …

The Miami Herald reports: The homeowners’ association for Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave near Miami that recently bought enough COVID-19 antibody tests for all of its residents and workers, has been approved for a $2 million loan through a federal program intended to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, according to an email the association sent Wednesday, the …

The Miami Herald reports: Miami-Dade’s emergency arm was close to taking possession of 1 million N95 masks last week, but the shipment was “taken” by the federal government, WLRN reported. Frank Rollason, Miami-Dade’s director of Emergency Management, described the shipment as “hijacked” by federal authorities during a desperate dash to secure medical-grade masks needed to protect first responders and front-line …

The Miami Herald reports: Fisher Island — an exclusive enclave of multimillion-dollar condos and homes and one of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country — has purchased thousands of rapid COVID-19 blood test kits from the University of Miami Health System for all of its residents and workers. The private island, set along Government Cut and nestled between Miami …

The Miami Herald reports: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez confirmed to NBC 6 Friday that he has tested positive for the new coronavirus. Suarez, 42, had announced Thursday that he would be in self-quarantine after it was learned he may have been in contact with the communications director for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who tested positive for the new coronavirus after …

Miami’s PBS affiliate reports: Miami elected officials and administrators are announcing that this year’s the annual Calle Ocho Festival, part of Carnaval Miami and sponsored by Kiwanis of Little Havana, will be canceled over the potential spread of coronavirus. Calle Ocho Festival, which was scheduled for March 15, attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year to heart of Little …

The Miami Herald reports: The 2020 Ultra Music Festival will be postponed — possibly for a full year, which would effectively cancel this year’s edition of Miami’s marquee electronic dance music event, the Miami Herald has learned. The decision to postpone, which sent shock waves through the electronic dance music community on social media, was made in a meeting Wednesday …

Entertainment Tonight reports: Rest in peace, Walter Mercardo. The legendary astrologer and actor has died, Telemundo Puerto Rico reports. He was 87. A family spokesperson, Omar Matos, reportedly confirmed that Mercado died on Saturday at the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in San Juan. Mercado’s cause of death was reportedly renal failure. Mercado, born on March 9, 1932, was known as an …

The Miami News Times reports: Washington state resident Eric Lin was not shy about his love for Adolf Hitler. According to a criminal complaint filed Friday, Lin enjoyed referencing the Third Reich in writing: He apparently sent a litany of Hitler-referencing death threats to a Hispanic woman in Miami and got himself arrested last week after he planned to wire …

The Washington Post reports: At Doral, which Trump has listed in federal disclosures as his biggest moneymaker hotel, room rates, banquets, golf and overall revenue were all down since 2015. In two years, the resort’s net operating income — a key figure, representing the amount left over after expenses are paid — had fallen by 69 percent. “They are severely …

Michigan Live reports: Democrats will hold their second 2020 presidential primary debate in Detroit, the Democratic National Committee announced today. The debate — which could include up to 16 Democrats — will take place on July 30-31 and air live on CNN. The first primary debate will take place on June 26 and 27 in Miami. President Donald Trump campaigned …

Politico reports: Miami fears the fix is in. Local Democrats increasingly believe that the Democratic National Convention in 2020 will be sited in Milwaukee, Wis., a conclusion that’s led Florida politicians, donors and insiders to mount a final lobbying blitz to turn the tide. The last-ditch effort began in earnest in recent days as speculation mounted that Democratic National Committee …

ABC News reports: Mark Bartlett, who is white, originally was charged only with carrying a concealed firearm after he allegedly pulled a gun on protesters blocking a Miami street as a part of a demonstration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But prosecutors announced hate crime charges on Tuesday, citing the completion of final interviews and witness statements. Bartlett, 51, …