The sudden, unexplained removal of these professionals not only undermines the requisite oversight to ensure integrity in the implementation of this historic assistance effort,

The sudden, unexplained removal of these professionals not only undermines the requisite oversight to ensure integrity in the implementation of this historic assistance effort, but also will erode public trust when the going gets really rough, as we know it will," writes Linda Thompson Gonzalez, a retired Foreign Service Officer, and former Assistant Inspector General at the State Department. She lives in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea resident and is a Democratic candidate for the Florida State House, District 93.

READ MORE....

Mayor Dean Trantalis's Response to COVID-19

  SHARE:  

Join Our Email List

April 2020 Response continues to COVID-19; city looks ahead to phased reopening This spring has been an incredibly difficult and trying time for our community because of the COVID-19 virus, but I’ve been so incredibly proud of how we have pulled together as neighbors and taken the necessary measures to fight the disease. The commitment exhibited to staying home and limiting social contact speaks volumes to the ties that bind us as a city.  It’s my hope that the beginning of this phase of the pandemic is nearing an end. We must now look ahead at how we restart the economy, get businesses open and people back to work. We want to put our community on a path back toward normalcy.  This decision, of course, must be based on the recommendations of our science partners, not the politicians. The path also will be largely based on when we see the peak of COVID-19 infections in our community. That date in Florida remains a little further off than the northeastern states. Health experts say the caseload should reach its maximum here sometime between April 26 and May 3.  So, then what happens? The doctors warn us that we must take a cautious, phased approach to a return to life as it was before the virus began to spread. We risk a relapse of COVID-19 and a new outbreak in our community if we move too fast. The efforts and sacrifices made since early March cannot have been for naught.  We know the severe economic impact caused by the emergency measures, and we all want to get our lives back on track. As a city, we are committed to doing that responsibly. What I envision is a phased approach. We likely should wait until we see a week or two of a sustained reduction in new cases so our hospital system could safely treat all new patients without crisis standards from that point forward.  Perhaps restaurants expand from just takeout and delivery services to a limited dine-in option where they operate at half of their capacity. Perhaps some recreational amenities can reopen such as beaches, parks, condo pools and boat ramps. Some businesses that were deemed non-essential could begin reopening. After all, many of us could use a hair cut by now.  COVID-19, though, will remain a constant threat until a vaccine is discovered.   As a result, it is likely that rules that require the use of face coverings in certain settings, limits on crowd sizes and standards for social distancing will be with us for some time. Large gatherings and major events will have to considered with great caution. A rigorous approach to hygiene of frequent hand-washing and surface disinfection will need to continue. And, those most at-risk should continue to stay as isolated as possible.  One thing that experts say will be important to a successful reopening of our community is more comprehensive testing for the virus. So far, we have struggled as a state and nation to provide widespread tests with quick results. To that end, the city has been working with the Florida Panthers and Cleveland Clinic to establish a testing site at War Memorial Auditorium in Holiday Park.  The Panthers offered to pay for the site, which Cleveland Clinic would operate. We are working with state and county emergency management officials to allow this to happen and hope to have some good news soon.  I truly am thankful that COVID-19 has not had the impact in Florida that we are witnessing in New York or earlier saw in places like Italy and Spain. The prudent steps that Fort Lauderdale took early on helped ensure the virus’ impact was not as widespread initially feared.  We issued our first emergency order on March 13 — shutting down large gatherings — when there were only 11 COVID-19 cases locally. Concern about the growing number of Spring Break students on our beach prompted further action just two days later.   We acted in concert with Miami Beach to close our beach so we could ensure the Spring Break crowd did not shift between beaches because of one city acting alone. Our two cities were actually the first coastal communities in the nation to take such an action. It was five more days before Panama City closed its beaches. The Florida Keys closed to tourists a week later. Los Angeles closed its beach 12 days later. South Carolina beaches shut down on March 30. And, it wasn’t until April 2 that Daytona Beach and Mexico closed their beachfronts.  Since then, we have continued to take leadership in our region in this fight. We led the difficult task of bringing all 31 cities in Broward County together to issue a stay-at-home order and close non-essential businesses. Our decision to require face coverings was among the first locally. Then we had the challenge of dealing with the Holland America cruise ships that were steaming towards our port with many passengers ill from COVID-19. They had been rejected by countries around the hemisphere.  I was outraged that no protocol had been established on how the sick and those exposed to the disease would disembark at Port Everglades. Finally, the president of Holland America agreed to strict protocols that protected our community from additional spread of the virus. Given Broward County’s decision to allow the ships to dock, those regulations presented a humanitarian solution for those on board and safeguarded our community. While there have been more than 3,100 cases in the greater Fort Lauderdale area, it could have been worse. Fast actions and responsible decisions saved lives.  I want to thank the emergency personnel on the front lines of this fight. I also ask that we mourn the 81 virus-related deaths in our community, including that of a beloved BSO deputy. Many of us have lost a friend or family member or known someone who has struggled to overcome the illness.  On final note, please know that our city continues to look for ways to help the less fortunate and those financially impacted by this pandemic.  We are starting a food distribution event in conjunction with Feeding South Florida and our neighboring cities of Oakland Park and Wilton Manors. This will occur from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday at Mills Pond Park at 2201 NW 9 Ave. Food will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Recipients must remain in their vehicles and will be instructed to open their trunk when volunteers are ready to load it. We hope to deliver food to 1,000 families and make this a weekly event at Mills Pond.   We are also looking for a way to provide temporary shelter for homeless individuals. Large encampments are problematic for the spread of COVID-19 so we must ramp up the efforts of the past two years to address homelessness. We are working with the United Way and hope to have a plan in place shortly.  To all residents, please continue to be cautious in your social interaction. With everyone’s help, we will get through this quickly and be back to enjoying all that makes our community a wonderful place to live.  Sincerely, Dean PS - Check out the links below for some useful information regarding COVID-19. COVID-19 Health information City COVID-19 rules COVID-19 Business assistance Contact our office Follow us on Facebook Visit our website City News Center Follow us on Twitter Sign up for our emails

160+ LGBT community centers request COVID relief funds

It has been several weeks since Congress passed the first stimulus package, and leadership in both the Senate and the House are planning to add new resources to assist hundreds of thousands of organizations and individuals who face financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers is bringing attention to its 250+ community center members, who provide vital information, education, and social and health services to almost 40,000 people each week, or over 1.9 million people annually. A letter signed by over 120 LGBTQ+ community centers was sent to House and Senate leaders today, asking them to include nonprofits who serve the LGBTQ+ population in future relief packages.

The first stimulus package was a good start toward recognizing and addressing the needs nonprofits face now, but the reality is that more will be necessary. There is an even greater demand for organizations such as LGBTQ+ centers to provide ongoing services to the most vulnerable populations within their communities. “Centers across the nation continue to offer food, medical care, housing, and other basic necessities during the COVID-19 pandemic”, said CenterLink Interim CEO Denise Spivak. “At this moment, the need for services has never been greater.” There is, and will be for months to come, a critical need for the support that is best provided by hundreds of LGBTQ+ organizations, big and small. Congress must include additional funding in future stimulus packages in order for LGBTQ+ centers to continue to provide life-saving services to communities.

FL Reps. Urge Gov. DeSantis to Take Immediate Steps to Protect Floridians and Save Lives

FL Reps. Urge Gov. DeSantis to Take Immediate Steps to Protect Floridians and Save Lives

The Florida Congressional Democratic delegation called for Governor Ron DeSantis to take immediate steps to protect the health and wellbeing of Floridians during the COVID-19 crisis. These steps include ensuring congressionally passed aid gets to states and localities, expanding Medicaid, reinstating Medicaid retroactive eligibility, boosting resources to enroll Floridians in Medicaid and CHIP, maintenance of effort for 6.2 percent FMAP increase, and withdrawing from Texas v. U.S.

“Expanding Medicaid would allow 840,000 Floridians to gain coverage and draw down $13.8 billion from 2020-2024 alone. Florida would make significant fiscal gains under expansion by replacing state spending with expansion funds. This would free up precious state dollars in emergency times like the COVID-19 crisis,” wrote the delegation.

The letter was signed by U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (FL14), Charlie Crist (FL13), Val Demings (FL10), Ted Deutch (FL22), Lois Frankel (FL21), Alcee Hastings (FL20), Al Lawson (FL5), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL26), Stephanie Murphy (FL7), Donna Shalala (FL27), Darren Soto (FL9), Debbie Wasserman Shultz (FL23) and Frederica Wilson (FL24).

Read the full letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis here and below:



Dear Governor DeSantis:

As members of the Florida Congressional delegation, we urge you to take immediate steps to protect the health and wellbeing of our fellow Floridians during the COVID-19 crisis. We appreciate some of the steps you have already taken, but we have heard from Floridians on the ground about ways you can improve things for our neighbors during this challenging time.

Health Care Aid Congress Passed to Help States and Localities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Over the last few weeks, Congress passed three supplemental appropriations bills to help Florida and Floridians weather the COVID-19 crisis. The first package (Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental) provided $950 million through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to states, local governments and tribes to conduct public health activities related to the coronavirus. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act included a vital boost to Florida’s Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) by 6.2 percent during this public health crisis. Consequently, Florida will also receive a smaller bump in its Children’ Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (EFMAP) of 4.34 percent. Additionally, it included a state option to cover COVID-19 related testing and testing-related services for uninsured individuals at 100 percent federal match during this crisis. The third package (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act) appropriated $150 billion for the Coronavirus Relief Fund for states, tribes and local governments to use for COVID-19 response. The CARES Act included an additional $1.5 billion through the CDC to support states, local governments and tribes contain the virus by purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), supporting laboratory testing of COVID-19 and other public health preparedness and response activities. This is a very stressful time for many of our neighbors, so we included $425 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, suicide prevention initiatives and mental health and substance use disorder emergency grants. We worked hard to provide the State of Florida and communities in our districts with an infusion of resources, and now it is your turn to work with federal agencies and local leaders to get these funds out the door as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are also working on future funding bills, so please reach out to us with needs you are seeing around the state – including an additional FMAP bump for Medicaid – which we anticipate will be heavily impacted by both the health and economic crises unfolding.

Expand Medicaid Immediately

A way to ensure Floridians have health coverage is by expanding Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid would allow about 840,000 Floridians to gain coverage and draw down $13.8 billion from 2020-2024 alone. Florida would make significant fiscal gains under expansion by replacing state spending with expansion funds. This would free up precious state dollars in emergency times like the COVID-19 crisis. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine outlined the many benefits to safety net providers and Floridians that would accrue from expanding Medicaid while having no negative impact on the state’s budget. We can provide hardworking Floridians access to comprehensive health coverage and a better quality of life by improving preventive care, managing chronic conditions, diverting routine health care out of hospital emergency departments and reducing uncompensated care. It is a win-win all around.

Medicaid expansion would fill the growing gap left by shrinking Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) payments from the federal government, which the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act delayed. The Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research estimated earlier this year that the state could lose $70.4 million in DSH funding this year. Florida hospitals have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to DSH dollars. Imagine how much hospitals and other providers are losing right now testing and treating patients and preparing for a COVID-19 surge. Medicaid expansion would fill this gap and provide a much more efficient use of tax dollars for coverage and care. Expanding Medicaid would finally give many hardworking Floridians the peace of mind of having health coverage as well as put the state and providers on better and more consistent financial footing.

Reinstate Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility
A critical action you should take is to immediately halt implementation of Florida’s Medicaid retroactive eligibility waiver. During the best of times, this policy was estimated to jeopardize the financial security of at least 39,000 of the most vulnerable Floridians, but with our state and country grappling with COVID-19, there is no telling how many more of our senior and disabled neighbors will be impacted by this draconian policy – as well as the hospital and nursing homes that serve them.

Retroactive eligibility is designed to protect Medicaid beneficiaries and their families from large and often surprising medical bills for medical services and long-term care. Importantly, this protection was also designed to minimize uncompensated care costs faced by hospitals and other health providers who take care of our fellow Floridians and are facing new financial and operational challenges due to COVID-19. It is important to remember that those who have services paid for through retroactive eligibility are only those who are deemed eligible for Medicaid.

Florida is one of only a handful of states in the country to have waived retroactive eligibility. Seniors and individuals with disabilities are most at risk for serious and deadly consequences from COVID-19, and we do not wish Floridians and the hospitals and nursing homes that serve them to be at greater financial risk as we face this public health emergency.

Boost Resources to Enroll Floridians in Medicaid and CHIP and Loosen Requirements

We urge you to look at ways that the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) can better serve our neighbors during this crisis. We understand that DCF storefronts are closing to keep employees and customers safe, but there does not seem to be a plan in place for an alternative way to help our neighbors, especially those that need in-person verification for Medicaid enrollment. We encourage you to set up a new section of the state’s website helping families to understand what their new public coverage options are. These are complex to understand without major stressors, but with many families losing jobs and in some cases employer-sponsored insurance, it is imperative for the state to design simple, online materials and offer a telephone hotline for families needing help. In addition, the state should boost resources to non-profit organizations that help enroll our neighbors in Medicaid and the CHIP, so we can ensure individuals and families are able to receive care, especially during a public health emergency.

We are hearing that wait times for help with Medicaid enrollment and questions can last up to two hours and there are times when Floridians looking to enroll in Medicaid are not getting calls back to conduct an interview due to inadequate staffing levels. In the best of times this is unacceptable, but during a public health crisis it is shameful. Have you or DCF come up with a plan to address this and get more staffers on the job immediately?

Along those lines, we would encourage you to loosen Medicaid determination requirements to get more Floridians health coverage and to keep folks enrolled. It is already too burdensome to sign up for Medicaid or retain coverage in Florida and now is not the time to leave folks uninsured. Thank you for temporarily stopping copays in KidCare until April 30, but we strongly encourage you to also eliminate the monthly premium, so families have the resources they need to get through these challenging times. Furthermore, Florida only give families a one-month grace period before a child loses coverage for nonpayment of premiums as well as a one-month lockout period. These need to be eliminated immediately because children should not be penalized if their parents are not able to pay due to the economic crisis.

Maintenance of Effort and Increase Floridians Eligible for Medicaid with the 6.2% FMAP Bump

As we stated before, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act included a 6.2 percent FMAP increase to help states during this crisis. For states to receive that funding bump, they must freeze Medicaid disenrollment (Maintenance of Effort). This is a vital provision to allow Floridians to continue receiving the care they need - especially during an economic downturn. What steps is the state taking to implement this provision? We found a notice of this change deep in AHCA’s website, but this must be more publicly shared. We would also urgently request that you freeze CHIP disenrollment as long as the financial downturn or the public health emergency continues.

With the FMAP bump, you should also step up for our seniors and neighbors with disabilities by decreasing or eliminating asset tests for these populations. Additionally, you should eliminate certain amounts of income over medically needy income levels for seniors and Floridians with disabilities. This would be a win-win since it would cover vulnerable populations more quickly and free up state workers and resources to focus on enrollment. It is vital to ensure seniors and individuals with disabilities have uninterrupted health coverage since they are more vulnerable to serious complications from COVID-19.

Withdraw from Texas v. U.S.
Affordable coverage for Florida families is at risk due to a misguided federal lawsuit making its way through the courts. We encourage you and Attorney General Ashley Moody to remove the State of Florida from the federal lawsuit that would kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and rip health coverage away from American families, including individuals with preexisting health conditions. Former Governor Rick Scott and former Attorney General Pam Bondi never should have joined the lawsuit with the sole goal to destroy the ACA. With the current COVID- 19 pandemic, it is more imperative than ever for the state to withdraw and instead side with the almost eight million Floridians with preexisting conditions. This lawsuit would eliminate numerous key protections that many Floridians rely on, especially during the current pandemic, like dependent coverage to age 26, preexisting condition protections, no-cost preventive services and annual and lifetime limits. We urge you to stand up for Florida families and vital ACA consumer protections that save lives and save money. As we asked you last year, please withdraw Florida from this dangerous lawsuit and work with us to adopt additional consumer protections that will protect Florida families – especially those with preexisting conditions.
It is our duty to ensure eligible Floridians have access to care without going into debt to obtain it, so we strongly encourage you to look at ways you can protect the health and wellbeing of Floridians during this crisis. We stand ready to work with you to put Floridians first.

  

Wall Street Journal want Trump to stop being a clown

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page issued a rare, blistering critique of Donald Trump. Coming from the most reactionary, right-wing opinion page in the country, the editorial was stunning, to say the least. The Journal’s editors basically implied that Trump was hurting himself in his daily “press briefings,” that his self-absorbed, narcissistic attacks on the media were not resonating with ordinary Americans, and that he should strongly consider stepping back and letting either Mike Pence or medical experts take center stage during such briefings.

In other words, it was a not-so-thinly veiled warning, coming from  #2 controlling the Republican party, with 3  being fox news, of course, they are both owned by Rupert Murdoch, but I hear he just turned 89 and is not all there. #3  Trump

Here was Trump’s response, on a day in which New York state alone reported 799 COVID-19 deaths in the previous 24-hour period.

Source Dailykos

Deutch Welcomes Release of Emergency Student Aid Grants, Requests Further Guidance from Sec. DeVos

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22) welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it would begin releasing financial assistance to college students as part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund provided in the CARES Act.

As the first round of funding, the Education Department is directing $6.28 billion to colleges and universities across the country to be then distributed to students to help cover expenses related to the pandemic, including food and housing. Schools are given discretion to determine the size of these grants and students’ eligibility to receive them.

On April 6, Congressman Deutch urged Secretary Betsy DeVos to expeditiously distribute the $14 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief funds provided by the CARES Act, including the $7 billion in emergency financial aid grants students urgently need.

Congressman Deutch said, “I appreciate the decision to prioritize students' urgent need for this relief. Their lives have been upended by this pandemic, including their housing and food supplies. This is a welcome first step putting their urgent needs first. However, as I outlined in my letter this week, Secretary DeVos must still clarify the guidance for these funds:

	1. Why has the Department given institutions an entire year to distribute these funds to students when they have pressing need for the money now?
	2. When can our schools expect to have access to the remaining funds?
	3. What oversight is being done to ensure that every dollar is getting to students to meet their challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic?
	4. When will the emergency student grant funds reserved for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions be released?

"I hope Secretary DeVos will promptly respond to my April 6 letter and give further clarity to our students and college and universities to ensure the funds reach their proper destination as Congress intended. Oversight of this program will be vital to ensure every dollar of this emergency aid will end up in the hands of students in need to meet the challenges arising out of this pandemic."

Some of the South Florida colleges and universities receiving funding include:

Broward College will receive $27,154,901, with a minimum of $13,577,451 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.

Florida Atlantic University will receive $22,429,874, with a minimum of $11,214,937 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.

Palm Beach State College will receive $18,933,435 with a minimum of $9,466,718 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.

Lynn University will receive $1,935,875 with a minimum of $967,938 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.

The allocation breakdown by college and university can be viewed here.

Gov, DeSantis Blew his high approval this week

On that January day in 2019, when Ron DeSantis took the oath of office as Florida’s next Governor, he left no doubt what he believed. It was straight out of the Federalist playbook.

“Our rights are endowed by God, not government; that we the people loan power to government under the Constitution in order to protect our rights,” DeSantis said.

“That government’s role is not to run our lives for us but to provide what Lincoln called an ‘open field and fair chance for one’s industry, enterprise, and intelligence.’ “

That’s fine when things are going well, but no single governing philosophy fits every situation. When a global pandemic strikes though, urgent, decisive leadership is required. Sometimes, you just gotta be the boss. DeSantis found out the hard way what that means.

What he could have accomplished with the stroke of a pen instead became a calamity of tentative, fumbling missteps that put people at risk.

He let beaches stay open, then complained when the video of spring breakers practicing unsafe distancing went viral. He discouraged public gatherings but hesitated to follow the lead of other big-state governors by ordering them halted.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in Florida.

As late as Tuesday, DeSantis said he had not essentially shut down the state because the White House had not called for that. Even when he finally caved on Wednesday with a statewide stay-at-home order, he declared churches could be open for worship because they are “essential.”

Churches are essential to many people, but most of them have put safety first. Throughout Florida, churches from all major denominations have suspended in-person worship in favor of online telecasts of services. The independent River at Tampa Bay Church was a notable outlier last Sunday when pastor Rodney Howard-Browne defied the public health risk and opened the church doors.

Law authorities arrested Howard-Browne and charged him with two misdemeanors. He said his church would not conduct public worship this week.

“At this point, we believe it is prudent to take a pause by not opening the church doors this Sunday. This will allow an opportunity for people to take a deep breath and calm down,” he said in a statement.

Until recently, DeSantis has enjoyed wide bipartisan popularity throughout the state. He has been free from any serious criticism, either here or beyond the state borders.

That has changed.

NBC’s Joe Scarborough tweeted: “Can anyone explain why Ron DeSantis has been so reckless during the crisis? He’s playing with fire and the deaths of so many Florida seniors. He has ignored health care officials from the pandemic’s outbreak. With so many seniors in the state, I just don’t get it.”

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat to hold statewide office, told Slate that DeSantis wouldn’t take her calls.

“Not to put words in his mouth, but I don’t know whom the Governor is talking to for advice purposes as far as the direction he’s taking the state right now,” she said.

“I don’t know who his advisors are. I think he has become very isolated, and really doesn’t want to hear opposing positions or opinions on what should be done in the state of Florida.”

DeSantis could be standing as a decisive leader and uniting presence, but he is instead coming across as the opposite. It’s a new look for him and not a good one.

This might be what happens when a person’s philosophy doesn’t fit the moment, though. Maybe we should have seen it coming.

Also read from an earlier  blog
 Read More.. 

 From Florida Politics

Joe Henderson | April 2, 2020