1/4 We got into the Minneapolis “autonomous zone.”
Last week after we were confronted, community leader PJ Hill reached out and offered to personally escort me in. He is not happy with the situation. And some of the people in the zone - again today -- were not happy to see us.
2/4 Worldwide Outreach for Christ Church is in the autonomous zone. Pastor Curtis Farrar is not happy the area is closed off. He says there have been times the activists don’t even let him through the gates. And he says some of them are armed.
3/4 Pastor Farrar says his biggest concern is that ambulances and fire trucks can’t get into the area. As we were leaving, we met one of the people in the guard hut. They said they have their own medics – and one of those medics helped a person who was shot earlier this month.
4/4 And new today – the Minneapolis Police Chief said the city has called in the Feds to help with the situation. The Chief says they plan to re-open the area, but would not say when. He said violent crime is up there.
NEW: The Miami-Dade state attorney is requesting all postal distribution centers be audited and that all ballots remaining at the centers be immediately transported to the Department of Elections.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle says her office is working with Miami-Dade Dept. of Elections and the United States Postal Inspector's Office to make sure all ballots are accounted for.
"I further understand that administrative action was taken by the Office of the Attorney General regarding the employee’s negligence at the Princeton distribution center," Fernandez-Rundle said.
“If most people realized the way that this back-end is being handled, they would be even more livid than they are currently."
A state employee spoke to us about what is behind the delays in Florida’s unemployment system. @DCohenNEWS
Fulll story: bit.ly/3bMY7Qc
We agreed to hide his identity because he fears retribution from the state. “Every day, I’m seeing applications that are a month old, three weeks old," he said.
He says there are specific delays with Spanish and Creole-speaking applicants.
The employee told us information has disappeared from the state's computer system -- causing delays.
Work history, he says, was provided on the applications he saw, but sometimes, he discovered the data disappeared from the system even after he entered it.
John De La Hoz has 5 kids.
He worked as a bellman at the Faena Hotel on Miami Beach and was furloughed 2 months ago.
He had $5,000 saved. Now he has $100.
Unemployment money has not hit his account yet, and despite calling 100 times, he missed the cut off for rent assistance.
John told me before COVID-19 he was living his best life. The tip money was at the Faena was great -- he said he went home with hundreds in cash and things were especially great around the Super Bowl. Things were really looking up and he was excited to save the $5000.
John has not paid rent in 2 months. He has been in contact with his landlord and says as soon as the unemployment money comes in, all of it will go to the landlord. In the meantime, he tried to get jobs at the Walmart and Walgreens near him, but was told they are not hiring.
Florida nursing homes/assisted living facilities with the most COVID-19 deaths according to state data:
1. Seminole Pavilion Rehab in Pinellas - 25 deaths 2. Fair Havens Center in Dade - 22 deaths 3. Highlands Lake Center in Polk - 20 deaths 4. Braden River Rehab in Manatee - 19
5. Suwannee Health and Rehab in Suwannee - 18 deaths 6. Coquina Center in Volusia - 17 deaths 7. Manor Pines Convalescent Center in Broward - 17 deaths 8. Bristol at Tampa Rehab and Nursing in Hillsborough - 15 deaths 9. Claridge House Nursing and Rehab in Dade - 14 deaths
10. Riviera Palms Rehab in Manatee - 14 deaths 11. Signature Healthcare Center of Waterford in Dade - 14 deaths 12. Unity Health and Rehab in Dade - 13 deaths 13. Manorcare Nursing and Rehab in Collier - 11 deaths 14. Miami Jewish Health Systems in Dade - 11 deaths
1/7 Here is the full list of all the Florida long term care facilities/nursing homes with COVID-19 cases in residents or staff.
There are 7 pages in this thread - and the cases are broken down by county.
This information was just released by the state.