On a day when Florida reported 695,887 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and the local area added 13 new deaths for a total of 528, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that restaurants and bars can immediately go back to 100 percent capacity.
DeSantis made the announcement in St. Petersburg as he touted Phase Three of his plan to reopen the state. The governor also placed restrictions on local governments that might attempt to keep bars and eateries at reduced capacity or closed and prohibited cities and counties from collecting any outstanding fines connected with the pandemic.
DeSantis said he was well aware that the restaurant industry is difficult to succeed in, especially with the devastating effects from COVID-19 shutdowns on operators and their employees since March.
“We are saying in the state of Florida everybody has an opportunity and the right to work,” he said. “Every business has the right operate.”
Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said Florida’s hospitality industry has been decimated by COVID-19.
“This has been a crisis like we have never seen before,” Dover said. “Businesses have closed, and more than 336,000 people have lost work in our industry. The effects on the local and state economy have been significant. We look forward to welcoming back our wonderful guests and to re-opening the Sunshine State.”
Floridians are hoping Phase Three doesn’t bring the staggering increase in COVID-19 cases that followed DeSantis’ Phase Two announcement in June. Since that time, the state has seen a staggering 1,084 percent rise in cases.
On June 3 when that announcement was made, Florida was reporting 58,764 cases, 2,566 deaths and 10,525 people hospitalized. On Friday, those numbers had ballooned to 695,887 cases, 14,083 deaths and 43,299 people hospitalized.
The breakdown by day of COVID-19 cases across the state, beginning the day after DeSantis’ Phase Two announcement, is as follows:
- Thursday, June 4: 60,183, increase of 1,419;
- Friday, June 5: 61,488, increase of 1,305;
- Saturday, June 6: 62,758, increase of 1,270;
- Sunday, June 7: 63,938, increase of 1,180;
- Monday, June 8: 64,904, increase of 966;
- Tuesday, June 9: 66,000, increase of 1,096;
- Wednesday, June 10: 67,371, increase of 1,371;
- Thursday, June 11: 69,069, increase of 1,698;
- Friday June 12: 70,971, increase of 1,902;
- Saturday June 13: 73,552, increase of 2,581;
- Sunday June 14: 75,568, increase of 2,016;
- Monday June 15: 77,327, increase of 1,759;
- Tuesday June 16: 80,109, increase of 2,782;
- Wednesday June 17: 82,719, increase of 2,610;
- Thursday June 18: 85,926, increase of 3,207;
- Friday, June 19: 89,748, increases of 3,822;
- Saturday, June 20: 93,797, increase of 4,049;
- Sunday, June 21: 97,291, increase of 3,494;
- Monday, June 22: 100,217, increase of 2,926;
- Tuesday, June 23: 103,503, increase of 3,286;
- Wednesday, June 24: 109,014, increased of 5,511;
- Thursday, June 25: 114,018, increase of 5,004;
- Friday, June 26: 122,960, increase of 8,942;
- Saturday, June 27: 132,545, increase of 9,585;
- Sunday, June 28: 141,075, increase of 8,530;
- Monday, June 29: 146,341, increase of 5,266;
- Tuesday, June 30: 152,434, increase of 6,093;
- Wednesday, July 1: 158,997, increase of 6,563;
- Thursday, July 2: 169,106, increase of 10,019;
- Friday, July 3: 178,594, increase of 9,488;
- Saturday, July 4: 190,052, increase of 11,458;
- Sunday, July 5: 200,111, increase of 10,059;
- Monday, July 6: 206,447, increase of 6,336;
- Tuesday, July 7: 213,794, increase of 7,347;
- Wednesday, July 8: 223,783, increase of 9,989;
- Thursday, July 9: 232,718, increase of 8,935;
- Friday, July 10: 244,151, increase of 11,433;
- Saturday, July 11: 254,511, increase of 10,360;
- Sunday, July 12: 269,811, increase of 15,300;
- Monday, July 13: 282,435, increase of 12,624;
- Tuesday, July 14: 291,629, increase of 9,194;
- Wednesday, July 15: 301,810, increase of 10,181;
- Thursday, July 16: 315,775, increase of 13,965;
- Friday, July 17: 327,241, increase of 11,466;
- Saturday, July 18: 337,569, increase of 10,328;
- Sunday, July 19: 350,047, increase of 12,478;
- Monday, July 20: 360,899, increase of 10,347;
- Tuesday, July 21: 369,834, increase of 9,440;
- Wednesday, July 22: 379,619, increase of 9,785;
- Thursday, July 23: 389,868, increase of 10,249;
- Friday, July 24: 402,312, increase of 12,444;
- Saturday, July 25: 414,511, increase of 12,199;
- Sunday, July 26: 423,855, increase of 9,344;
- Monday, July 27: 432,747, increase of 8,892;
- Tuesday, July 28: 441,977, increase of 9,230;
- Wednesday, July 29: 451,423, increase of 9,446;
- Thursday, July 30: 461,379 increase of 9,956;
- Friday, July 31: 470,386, increase of 9,007;
- Saturday, Aug. 1: 480,028, increase of 9,642;
- Sunday, Aug. 2: 487,132, increase of 7,104;
- Monday, Aug. 3: 491,884, increase of 4,742;
- Tuesday, Aug. 4: 497,330, increase of 5,446;
- Wednesday, Aug. 5: 502,739, increase of 5,409;
- Thursday, Aug. 6: 510,389, increase of 7,650;
- Friday, Aug. 7: 518,075, increase of 7,686;
- Saturday, Aug. 8: 526,577, increase of 8,502;
- Sunday, Aug. 9: 532,806, increase of 6,229;
- Monday, Aug. 10: 536,961, increase of 4,155;
- Tuesday, Aug. 11: 542,792, increase of 5,831;
- Wednesday, Aug. 12: 550,901, increase of 8,109;
- Thursday, Aug. 13: 557,137, increase of 6,236;
- Friday, Aug. 14: 563,285, increase of 6,148;
- Saturday, Aug. 15: 569,637, increase of 6,352;
- Sunday, Aug. 16: 573,416, increase of 3,779;
- Monday, Aug. 17: 576,094, increase of 2,678;
- Tuesday, Aug. 18: 579,932, increase of 3,928;
- Wednesday, Aug. 19: 584,047, increase of 4,115;
- Thursday, Aug. 20: 588,602, increase of 4,555;
- Friday, Aug. 21: 593,286, increase of 4,684;
- Saturday, Aug. 22: 597,597, increase of 4,311;
- Sunday, Aug. 23: 600,571, increase of 2,974;
- Monday, Aug. 24: 602,829, increase of 2,258;
- Tuesday, Aug. 25: 605,502, increase of 2,673;
- Wednesday, Aug. 26: 608,722, increase of 3,220;
- Thursday, Aug. 27: 611,991, increase of 3,269;
- Friday, Aug. 28: 615,806, increase of 3,815;
- Saturday, Aug. 29: 619,003, increase of 3,197;
- Sunday, Aug. 30: 621,586, increase of 2,583;
- Monday, Aug. 31: 623,471, increase of 1,885;
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: 631,040, increase of 7,560;
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: 633,442, increase of 2,402;
- Thursday, Sept. 3: 637,013, increase of 3,571;
- Friday, Sept. 4: 640,211, increase of 3,198;
- Saturday, Sept. 5: 640,211, increase of 3,198;
- Sunday, Sept. 6: 646,431, increase of 2,564;
- Monday, Sept. 7: 648,269, increase of 1,838;
- Tuesday, Sept. 8: 650,092, increase of 1,823;
- Wednesday, Sept. 9: 652,148, increase of 2,056;
- Thursday, Sept. 10: 654,731, increase of 2,583;
- Friday, Sept. 11: 658,381, increase of 3,650;
- Saturday, Sept. 12: 661,571, increase of 3,190;
- Sunday, Sept. 13: 663,994, increase of 2,423;
- Monday, Sept. 14: 665,730, increase of 1,736;
- Tuesday, Sept. 15: 668,846, increase of 3,116;
- Wednesday, Sept. 16: 671,201, increase of 2,355;
- Thursday, Sept. 17: 674,456, increase of 3,255;
- Friday, Sept. 18: 677,660, increase of 3,204;
- Saturday, Sept. 19: 681,233, increase of 3,573;
- Sunday, Sept. 20: 683,754, increase of 2,521;
- Monday, Sept. 21: 685,439, increase of 1,685;
- Tuesday, Sept. 22: 687,909, increase of 2,470;
- Wednesday, Sept. 23: 690,499, increase of 2,590;
- Thursday, Sept. 24: 693,040, increase of 2,541; and
- Friday, Sept. 25: 695,887, increase of 2,847.
