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The Florida Secretary of State quietly published guidance for people with felon convictions to determine whether they are eligible to register to vote.

There was no press release.

The Felon Voting Rights guidance just appeared on the Division of Elections website.

It even caught Desmond Meade by surprise.

He led the charge for the 2018 felons voting rights amendment.

“They didn’t give notice to any of the organizations that they know are working to help returning citizens participate in our democracy,” said Meade, who serves as Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

The new guidance clarifies as long as a felon has paid the total of what the originally owed they can register.

Additional fees or interest added to their original debt can’t count against them.

Felons can also ask the Secretary of State to determine if they’re eligible, but Meade said even with the new guidance that process hasn’t been fleshed out.

“They’re not telling a person exactly what to do and in addition they’re not even giving the timeline for a person to get a response,” said Meade.

Meade called the guidance too little too late.

“We have hundreds of thousands of returning citizens in the State of Florida who wish they could have been participating in the primary elections that’s going on right now in their community,” said Meade.

In a press conference Thursday, the Governor blamed the delay on pending litigation against the 2019 law that requires felons pay all fines, fees and restitution before the can register to vote.

The Governor said more will be known once the case is settled.

“And I’m sure they’re going to provide appropriate guidance at that time,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

The lawsuit against requiring the fines and fees will be heard in a federal appeals court next week.

A federal judge in a lower court previously ruled the law amounted to a poll tax.

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is still working to help felons pay back their debts.

They’ve spent $2 million so far to help 2,000 felons.

Another $2 million is expected to go out the door by the end of the week.

You can also contribute to the fund at WeGotTheVote.org.

The Public Service Commission has allowed Gulf Power, one of Florida’s five investor owned electric utility companies, to start tacking COVID related costs.

The approval could be used to increase rates in the future and us other power companies are considering following Gulf’s lead.

COVID has spared few.

Even utility companies are feeling the sting.

“Personal protective equipment or scanning devices to check temperatures. Things like that, but also the biggest portion of it is what is called ‘bad debt’, which is uncollected customer bills,” said Gulf Power spokesperson Sarah Gatewood.

That’s why Gulf Power asked the Public Service Commission for the ability to track those losses.

“So that we may come back in the future and possibly ask for cost recovery,” said Gatewood.

The request was approved, but J.R. Kelly with the Office of Public Counsel worries tracking COVID costs will result in higher rate hikes if they’re requested.

“Instead of getting a $1,000 increase, they’d get $1,000 plus,” said Kelly.

Kelly said at least two other companies have also asked to track COVID costs and he expects more will follow.

“Gulf Power got it. If the commission ends up giving it to Peoples Gas and ends up giving it to Utilities, Inc. of Florida, the wastewater utility, why wouldn’t the other utilities come in and ask for this?” said Kelly.

We reached out to other energy providers and asked if they plan to follow Gulf Power’s lead.

TECO and FPL said they don’t at this time, but Duke Energy said it is reviewing the option.

“Duke Energy Florida (DEF) has been experiencing effects from COVID-19. DEF has not been disconnecting customers for non-payment and has been waiving certain customer fees. It also has incurred some incremental costs related to additional personal protective equipment to protect its employees while still providing reliable electric service. We are monitoring those impacts to determine whether to make any filing with the Florida Public Service Commission,” said Duke Energy Spokesperson Ana Gibbs.

These requests won’t immediately hit your wallet, but potential rate increases could be seen a year or two down the line.

In the meantime, power companies want customers to reach out if they can’t pay their bills.

“So we can try and come up with other solutions that would avoid any bad debt,” said Gatewood.

The Office of Public Counsel has requested the PSC reconsider it’s decision to allow Gulf Power to track its COVID costs.

It expects the issue to come up in the commission’s September or October agenda.

Florida’s Panhandle is deep red.

Donald Trump carried the vast majority of counties there in 2016, and Team Trump is on the road with a swing across northern Florida looking for a repeat.

Team trump pulled into a small strip shopping mall minutes after volunteers lined the sidewalk with Black Voices for Trump signs.

On the bus, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump’s former campaign manager Cory Lewandowski.

“So, do we have work to do. You bet we do. Did he create the greatest economy that the world has ever seen, shutting it down to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic. The answer is yes, and he’s the only one who can bring our economy back,” said Lewandowski.

Bondi told us the rioting around Black Lives matter is raising safety concerns among African Americans.

“People want their kids safe,” said Bondi.

She said black voters are turning to Trump in greater numbers.

“We can’t defund the police, and that’s what Joe Biden says he wants to redirect funds, and that’s defunding the police,” said Bondi.

In a small office packed with volunteers, Bondi pushed mail voting, drawing a distinction between Florida’s method and other states.

“Mass mailing of course happens in other states, but that’s what we’ve gotta let people know here in Florida that absentee voting is a great thing. Its safe,” said Bondi.

Musician Michael Collins performed a song he said he wrote after losing his job at an African American Church because he supports Trump.

“My church is ninety, ninety-five percent Democratic,” said Collins.

Four years ago, the Panhandle accounted for half the President’s victory margin in Florida.

The campaign expects even bigger results this time.

In a release, Florida Democrats accused the bus tour of “recklessly endangering public safety” during the pandemic”.

Florida Democrats also said in that statement that the bus tour was being used to distract people from the President’s handling of the pandemic.

School districts began opening in-class learning Monday as the lawsuit filed by the Florida Education Association to delay classroom learning remains in limbo.

The case was transferred from Miami to Tallahassee last week and no hearing date has yet been set.

The order transferring the reopening lawsuit to the State Capital was issued last Thursday.

By Monday morning, two circuit judges had recused themselves.

Neither responded to an email asking why.

The Florida Education Association which filed the lawsuit wants schools open, but safely.

“We want to make sure that our students and the people who work in our schools are safe. This is not about whether or not we reopen schools. This is not about opening schools in the right environment and in the way,” said FEA Vice President Andrew Spar.

Five mostly rural Florida counties were opened their classrooms Monday.

More are expected throughout the week.

The state’s pediatric COVID report shows more than 39,000 in kids 17 and under.

But the good news, there have been no new cases reported over the last four days.

At an education roundtable, the Governor reiterated he was committed to having in class learning.

“There are a lot of parents who do believe that the in person is essential, and we want to make sure they have the option to exercise a meaningful choice as well,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

Late Friday, The Hillsborough County School District’s plan to start the school year with four weeks of online-only instruction was rejected by the state.

“They brought together medical professionals from many of the area hospitals and asked them, is it safe to open schools. And every single medical professional said they didn’t think it was at this point in the COVID crisis,” said Spar.

And FEA said it does expect the lawsuit will be back in court for a hearing by the end of the week.

The union continues to say it wants to sit down with the Governor to talk about options, but he has so far refused that offer.

Bar owners are becoming increasingly distraught due to their ongoing state mandated closure.

Dozens of owners took to the Capitol Friday to make their voices heard.

Among the protestors was James Cuneo, who owns Howlin Wolf Bar in Putnam County.

“We’re getting to the point now where we’re financially paying for our staff out of our own pocket and all. But we’ve lost 50 to 75 percent of income, still have to pay the bills, still have to pay our liquor license that’s due in September,” said Cuneo.

Judi Yaeger drove two and a half hours from Williston to represent her bar, the Junction Tavern.

“I’ve owned the bar for 21 years and I don’t want to go down without a fight,” said Yaeger.

Owners told us this second round of closures have brought them to their breaking point.

“Many of us are not going to survive this and we’re not different. We’re no different than other people whose businesses are open and we deserve that right,” said Yaeger.

The owners also pointed out that even with bars closed, case numbers haven’t gotten better and remain high.

That’s one of the main contentions in a lawsuit many of the owners have signed onto.

“The DBPR is taking a position on this entire issue that seems to be one of creating the best public image instead of creating the safest public policy,” said Jacob Weil, the attorney representing bars in the case.

The lawsuit filed by the bar owners at today’s rally has received one hearing so far.

It was filed in Volusia County, but the state has asked for it to be transferred to the capital.

But if the closures go on for much longer the cost could be thousands of small businesses closing their doors forever.

“And these are small mom and pop businesses that spent their entire life savings working hard to build these businesses,” said Weil.

Despite the lawsuits, DBPR has given little to no indication of when it will allow bars to reopen.

The case challenging the opening of brick and mortar schools is being transferred from Miami to Tallahassee.

Teachers chose to file in Miami because it remains the epicenter of the state’s virus outbreak, but some schools will open before there is a decision.

Dozens of school districts are set to reopen in person learning next week.

Lawyers were set to argue whether that was safe on Friday, but a judge granted the state’s motion to move the case from Miami to Tallahassee.

“It is an issue of statewide importance. Crucial issue of statewide importance,” said 11th Circuit Judge Spencer Eig.

Union lawyers call it a delaying tactic.

“We’re disappointed, just in a sense that it added delay which was completely unnecessary,” said FEA Attorney Kendall Coffey.

FEA Attorney Ron Meyer said he hopes the two sides can avoid a trial.

“And let’s talk. If school districts do indeed have the option to take actions in the safety of students without being financially penalized, Say it. Don’t rely on an ambitious order,” said Meyer.

With the case moving to the Capitol, it’s now clear some schools will open before this case is resolved.

Florida Pediatricians have been warning the governor for weeks it’s not yet safe to open schools.

“What I wish would happen is that the schools would just hold off brick and mortar until we are down to below five percent infection rate. Florida is now overall at just over 11. admittedly, it’s come down some since we wrote the paper, but it’s still far too high in our opinion to open up schools.,” said Dr. Paul Robinson, President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the state added 599 new cases in kids 17 and under.

“We need to be agree on how to make schools safe. We don’t want to paint hearses yellow and park out in front of our schools,” said Meyer.

In moving the case, the judge said he would expedite the transfer.

Lawyers said when it gets to Tallahassee, the NAACP will join because of the high rate of infection among African Americans.

Union lawyers said Wednesday they would seek a stay in the order to move if it was granted.

Thursday they chose to keep the case moving.

Florida ports have never stopped working through the pandemic, bringing in much needed consumer goods to stock shelves while the world locked down, but they say they’re facing an economic crisis.

Without help in the next federal stimulus package thousands of jobs could be at risk.

Early on imports like steel, automobiles and fuel took a hit.

“We’re starting to see some of this come back,” said Doug Wheeler, President and CEO of the Florida Ports Council.

Wheeler said the worst damage has been to the cruise industry, with ships docked through the end of October.

“We’re seeing some pretty serious consequences from the pandemic. In some cases as much as 60 to 70 percent of port revenue basically gone overnight,” said Wheeler.

So far, ports haven’t received any help through the crisis, despite additional costs for cleaning, staffing, paid leave and PPE.

Wheeler fears as many as 169,000 jobs and $23 billion in economic activity could be lost without additional help.

The ports hope to secure $3.5 billion in the next federal stimulus.

The Council sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on August 3rd.

In it they specifically requested $1.5 billion for U.S. seaports and at least $2 billion for other maritime businesses.

“That relief money could be used to provide protection equipment or make modifications. I mean I think we’re learning daily that whether it’s cruise or cargo operations, they’re not going to look the same as they did nine months ago,” said Wheeler.

And if ports are forced to shrink, Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce told us every Floridian could see the impacts on store shelves.

“Those products aren’t going to be able to get in and out of Florida. So in terms of the economy, ports are almost like breathing air and drinking water,” said Wilson.

Overall, ports supply 900,000 Florida jobs and contribute more than $117 billion to the state’s economy each year.

Four out of five Floridians are concerned they’ll contract COVID-19 and die according to a new poll by State Innovation Exchange.

That fear appears to be influencing how Florida voters plan to cast their ballots.

“People are just feeling anxious in general about going out anywhere, whether it’s to the grocery store or to the polls or to visit their neighbor,” said Melanie Brown-Woofter with the Florida Behavorial Health Association.

The poll found 52 percent of Florida voters said they intend to vote by mail.

3 million have requested mail ballots for the August primary.

That’s 700,000 more than the 2016 primary.

“Historically over a third of our voters vote by mail. So the short answer is yes, supervisors are going to be prepared for it,” said Craig Latimer, President of the Florida Supervisors of Elections.

President Donald Trump, who has been a critic of vote by mail, has twice in the past week applauded Florida’s vote by mail system.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee is quick to point out, unlike in some states, mail ballots here aren’t automatically sent to every registered voter.

“A vote by mail ballot is provided upon a voter’s request. So that’s one way of ensuring that a ballot is going from the supervisor of election to a registered voter who has made the request,” said Lee in a June interview.

But there are some who want to see Florida send every registered voter a mail ballot by default.

A new report by Integrity Florida found little evidence of fraud in the five other states that already conduct universal vote by mail an recommends Florida follow their lead.

“Voting by mail is a reliable way to vote. Given the circumstances that we’re in with the pandemic, it’s also probably the safest,” said Integrity Florida Research Director Ben Wilcox.

Despite the health concerns, 47 percent of Florida voters who responded to the State Innovation Exchange poll said they still intend to cast their ballot in person.

Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t budging on his plan to reopen brick and mortar schools in the coming days.

Florida teachers have asked a judge to stop him, but legal maneuvering could delay a decision until it no longer matters.

The injunction was filed late Tuesday, It cites more than 38,000 Florida cases in children under 17.

But since that filing, 490 more cases appeared on the states tally.

The vast majority are school age.

“These are life and death, no do over decisions,” said Mark Richards, attorney for the Florida Education Association.

Lawyers were in court to schedule a hearing on the request.

“We’re not here asking your honor whether a particular class in English or art is conducted appropriately. The element of human safety is indeed something judges are able to deal with,” said FEA attorney Kendall Coffey.

A union survey of 44,000 teachers found that only one in ten want to go back to the classroom this month.

Lawyers said in court that if schools are forced to reopen, many will retire early.

On Thursday, the court will first take up whether the case should be decided in Miami, where it was filed, or in the state Capitol.

No matter what happens, both sides promise an appeal.

If the judge rules for the teachers, the state gets an automatic stay.

If he rules for the state, the other side will appeal, pushing back any decision until a time it may not matter.

The Florida PTA more than anything wants parents to have options.

“Some are out looking for new jobs. Some, just because of the need to work their job or jobs don’t allow them to keep their children home, even though that may be what they are more comfortable with,” said Dr. Danielle Thomas, Vice President of Education for the Florida PTA.

35 of the state’s 67 school systems are scheduled to open classrooms next week.

For now it doesn’t appear that an order from any court is going to stop the opening.

This year’s back to school sales tax holiday kicks off Friday and continues through Sunday, but parents are facing an uncertain future when it comes to how the upcoming school year will look.

Pencils, notebooks and backpacks are all items covered under the upcoming back to school sales tax holiday, but with the potential for distance learning, reopening delays or even potential school closures preparing for the 2020 school year is more complicated than ever.

“Some students might not start off with a backpack cause they’re not gonna be leaving the house and that’s okay, but we have some student who will need a book bag,” said Dr. Danielle Thomas, Vice President of Education for the Florida PTA.

But there are some items on the list that could be helpful whether your child returns to the classroom or end up learning from home.

“Writing utensils, the paper, the notebooks. Those types of things that they will probably need no matter what,” said Thomas.

Computers and accessories like webcams are also exempt from taxation this weekend.

“It’s up to $1,000 on a computer purchase so we’re happy with that especially at a time when you’re going to have a lot of people opting for virtual learning,” said Scott Shalley, President and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation.

Also exempt this weekend are clothing items under $60.

For the first time ever that also includes face masks.

“Masks are either highly encouraged or required in many cases and of course comes a cost with that,” said Thomas.

And if you don’t feel safe going into a crowed store, remember the tax exemption also applies to items purchased online.

“And of course the stores themselves are implementing a lot of measures to ensure a safe shopping experience,” said Shalley.

Even though this year’s tax free holiday is two days shorter than last year’s, the Retail Federation anticipates Floridians will still save around $40 million, due to the expected demand for high priced technology items.

For a full list of items exempt from sales tax this weekend click this link.

Parents will be dropping college age students back on campuses across the state later this month.

Reopening plans call for colleges and universities to be flexible and not all classes will be in person.

The union representing professors across the state last week called for distance learning only in the fall.

“We need to be safe,” said Marshall Ogletree, Executive Director of the United Faculty of Florida.

Now the union is angry because letters written to the Governor and education officials went unanswered.

In a news release it calls the lack of response “both callous and reckless!”

“The political leadership continues to say everything is good. And everything is not good, and faculty are scared. I’m sure a lot of students are scared,” said Ogletree.

But the Board of Governors says health and safety come first and each school has flexibility for changing situations.

Three out of four college students do want to come back to campus, while very few professors would like that.

Someone close to the situation told us it was tense.

Violetta Kalinowski will be making the trip from Fort Myers to bring her daughter Nicole to FSU in mid August.

“So I feel good about that. She’s healthy so I don’t have any issues there,” said Kalinowski.

We met Maggie Lo on campus.

She’s working on her Masters in Social work.

“I think it is important to have like a real person engagement with my students, and I can have a real live conversation with my classmates,” said Lo.

FSU told us just 36 percent of its classes will be held in person this fall.

After we contacted the Board of Governors Tuesday, it finally responded to the union late in the afternoon.

The BOG provided the union with the same statement sent to us:

“Thank you for your email on August 3, 2020. As you are aware, the State Universities designed their reopening plans with the agility necessary to respond to changed conditions and enhance the resiliency of each institution. As stated in our Blueprint for Reopening Campuses, the foundational priority of each university’s plan will be the health and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, vendors, volunteers, and visitors.”

You can find a copy of the blueprint here.

The additional $600 federal unemployment checks Floridians had been receiving on top of their state unemployment checks expired Friday.

Even fiscally conservative groups are pleading with Congress to take action.

James Webb’s entertainment company was hit hard by the pandemic.

“My revenues are down between 70 and maybe 88 percent,” said Webb.

He applied for unemployment back in April, but because he’s self employed he doesn’t qualify for state benefits, only the $600 federal benefits.

“And I still haven’t seen a dime,” said Webb.

We asked DEO whether people like Webb who haven’t seen any federal unemployment will receive back pay, but we did not receive a response.

Even if Webb does receive back pay for what he’s owed, the future looks bleak, as the federal unemployment assistance has lapsed.

“I did my job back in March when I was told to stay at home… and I feel like that I’ve been slapped in the face for doing that,” said Webb.

Republicans want to reduce the $600 checks, fearing some aren’t going back to work because they’re making more on unemployment than they would their jobs.

But even the fiscally conservative Florida TaxWatch wants to see the federal unemployment assistance extended.

“We don’t have many choices. We either continue this and help ordinary Americans and particularly Floridians… or have more draconian structural damage to our employment system,” said Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro.

And Webb said even if some are making more than they normally would, there are many like him who desperately need the help.

“If you’re going to make all of these rules and restrictions then you know what? You kind of have to help the people that need it,” said Webb.

Nearly eight out of every 10 dollars the state has paid out in unemployment are from the federal unemployment program.

That’s just shy of $10 billion in total.

For the first time since the pandemic hit Florida in March, the state is launching a campaign urging Floridians to be safe by wearing a mask and more.

The campaign isn’t coming from the Governor’s Office or the Department of Health, but from the Department of Agriculture.

Be Smart Florida is a simple reminder to pay attention to basic prevention guidelines.

“COVID-19 remains out of control,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried in a new digital ad for the campaign.

The digital and social media campaign comes three days after the Governor streamed a message on Facebook.

“Now is not the time to let up. We all have one goal, one state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday.

Fried said hers efforts will be broader.

“Our is multidimensional, multi channels from PSA announcements, to videos, to tool kits,” said Fried.

The campaign will feature star athletes and politicians.

Fried is again calling for a statewide mask order.

She said it’s about safety, not her criticism of the Governor for not issuing the order.

“This is bigger than me. This is bigger than the Governor. This is about the health and wellness of our citizens and economy,” said Fried.

And the Be Smart Florida campaign isn’t costing taxpayers anything extra.

It’s being paid for within the Department’s existing budget.

The campaign has been in the works for three weeks.

Asked why it didn’t come from the Department of Health, Fried pulled no punches.

“Kinda our attempt. They have been a little bit less reluctant to respond to things that we are asking,” said Fried.

Fried also suggested scaling back the state’s reopening efforts with greater restaurant restrictions and others, arguing Florida closed too late and opened to early.

Positive tests and deaths were down Monday, but test sites in several cites were closed over the weekend as the state prepared for Hurricane Isaias.

State run COVID-19 testing sites along the east cost will be closed for the weekend and possibly through Tuesday depending on the track of Hurricane Isaias.

Despite the closure,s the Governor doesn’t believe it will make a significant dent in overall testing.

Safety protocols were tight at the State EOC ahead of the Governor’s Friday morning briefing.

Reporters were given a rapid test before entering.

After testing negative, an extended line of questioning was administered at the door.

But for many Floridians the hurricane will make it harder to get a test.

State testing sites will be closed in impacted areas on the east coast.

“So the ones on the west coast of Florida are open,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.

Among the areas impacted, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach; where the bulk of positive cases are found.

The Governor said private labs, hospitals and community sites may decide to stay open through the storm.

And those account for the largest portion of tests.

“Our sites because they’re outdoors with tents, you know if it were to get 40 to 50 mile an hour winds it would just collapse and so safety is paramount for that,” said DeSantis.

Only time will tell how big of an impact the testing shutdown will make on daily case totals though.

“Because some of these tests that get reported, I mean we’ll get data dumps for positives that were three weeks ago,” said DeSantis.

Since the track of the storm is still subject to change, the Governor said if it moves further off the coast, state test sites on the eastern peninsula could reopen early.

The Governor also noted that going forward he hopes to implement more rapid testing, especially in South Florida.

He said that will make the daily case totals more reflective of what is happening in real time.