The Florida Education Association has filed an emergency lawsuit to prevent schools from reopening with students in the classroom. The suit says in part the reopening violates the Florida Constitution that mandates safety and security in public schools. The suit was filed with the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts where a hearing is scheduled for 1 pm today.

Pinellas County now has the third-highest death rate in nursing homes in the state due to COVID-19. While the total number infections is actually going down, deaths have continued to climb over the past six weeks. Tuesday’s confirmed coronavirus cases totaled 5,446 bringing the state total to just under half a million at 497,330. For the latest information check with Dove Coronavirus site for the Florida Dashboard which is updated daily at 11 am, including the weekend. The Florida Department of Health also has the COVID-19 Call Center open 24/7 at 1-866-779-6121. You can also reach them by email at covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

Vice President Mike Pence will be in Clearwater today and you can expect issues with traffic. He’ll be at the Hilton Clearwater Beach for an event at 3 pm and we have a list of the expected road closures and times for you here,

The statewide moratorium on housing evictions and foreclosures has been extended again. The new date is September 1st. Property owners who are not receiving their payments are now in the position of laying off staff and downsizing themselves. When the moratorium does end you are responsible for all back payments and can be evicted for non-payment.

Someone stole more than $25,000 worth of equipment from the Tampa Bay Cardinals youth football program. The shed was broken into sometime between last Thursday and Saturday. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office is asking for help from anyone who might know something. You can help the team at their next fundraiser at the Tampa Bay Cardinals BBQ Saturday, at 11 am at Diamond Cuts Barbershop at 5703 N. Nebraska Avenue in Tampa.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is part of a group that bought the XFL for $15 million dollars, which includes the Tampa Bay Vipers. Johnson partnered with RedBird Capital for the deal. The XFL filed for bankruptcy in April after COVID-19 cut the season short.

Cox Media Group