>>THIS WEEK ON NEWSNIGHT, ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR, JERRY DEMINGS REFLECTS ON THE PAST YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC, AND WHAT MIGHT LIE AHEAD FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA.

MORE BUSINESSES ARE FOUND VIOLATING COVID-19 ORDERS, BUT CAN AUTHORITIES DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

AND WILL SPRING BREAK GIVE CENTRAL FLORIDA'S ECONOMY A MUCH NEEDED BOOST?

NEWSNIGHT STARTS NOW.

♪ MUSIC ♪ >>HELLO, I'M STEVE MORT.

WELCOME TO NEWSNIGHT WHERE WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BIG STORIES IMPACTING CENTRAL FLORIDA AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOU.

AND WE DO THIS BY BRINGING TOGETHER A TEAM OF JOURNALISTS FROM VARIOUS LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.

JOINING US THIS WEEK, ABE ABORAYA FROM 90.7 WMFE AND HEALTH NEWS FLORIDA.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, NADEEN YANES FROM WKMG NEWS 6.

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

REALLY APPRECIATE IT, AND WE HOPE OUR COLLEAGUE NANCY ALVAREZ WILL BE BACK WITH US ON THE SHOW VERY SOON.

WELL FIRST TONIGHT, WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS WAS DECLARED A PANDEMIC BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION A YEAR AGO, I SAT DOWN WITH ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR, JERRY DEMINGS, TO DISCUSS HOW HIS ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO HANDLE THE THEN EMERGING PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

WELL, A YEAR LATER, WE WANTED TO ASK MAYOR DEMINGS TO REFLECT ON THE COVID-19 RESPONSE AND WEIGH IN ON SOME OF THE CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE VACCINE ROLLOUT.

I STARTED BY ASKING MAYOR DEMINGS ABOUT THE TOUGHEST MOMENTS FOR HIM DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

>>IT WAS A VERY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

I EVENTUALLY LEARNED OF PEOPLE THAT I KNEW PERSONALLY, WHO DIED OF THE VIRUS, AND I'VE SEEN MANY OTHER FAMILIES WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE VIRUS AS WE HAVE MATURED IN OUR EXPERIENCE OF LIVING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.

IT IS ONE THAT HAS BECOME MUCH MORE REAL FOR ME THAN IT WAS A YEAR AGO.

>>THE GOVERNOR'S TALKED ABOUT WHAT HE SEES AS THE MISTAKES OF THE RESPONSE, HE'S COME OUT STRONGLY AGAINST LOCKDOWNS FOR EXAMPLE, DO YOU THINK THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE TO SHUTTER BUSINESSES AND DID THOSE MOVES HARM CENTRAL FLORIDA MORE THAN THERE WAS NEEDED?

>>I BELIEVE THAT AT THE TIME THAT THOSE DECISIONS WERE MADE, THOSE WERE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.

BECAUSE THEY WERE MADE TO KEEP THE PEOPLE SAFE.

BUT WE HAD POLITICIANS WHO WERE RELUCTANT TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT NEEDED TO BE MADE, THAT IN SOME WAYS WOULD BE PERCEIVED AS ANTI-BUSINESS.

PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB IN TERMS OF OUR RESPONSE EARLY ON, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN IN A RECOVERY PHASE MUCH SOONER THAN WE ARE NOW.

>>WHAT ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS, YOU AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE DISAGREED AT TIMES OVER THE PANDEMIC RESPONSE.

HOW ARE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS NOW AS WE TRY TO RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC?

>>I HAVE NOT ALWAYS AGREED WITH SOME OF THE GOVERNOR'S DECISIONS, BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR FAR MORE THAN I DISAGREE WITH THE GOVERNOR.

I CERTAINLY KNOW ORANGE COUNTY FAR BETTER THAN THE GOVERNOR DOES.

AND THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I THINK THAT AND THE ZEAL OF THE GOVERNOR TO TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL, WHAT HE DIDN'T DO VERY WELL WAS COMMUNICATE WITH LOCAL LEADERS, NOT JUST HERE WITHIN ORANGE COUNTY, BUT I'VE HEARD THIS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

AND OUR GOAL SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABOUT KEEPING THE PUBLIC SAFE AND NOT ABOUT THE POLITICS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

UNFORTUNATELY, I BELIEVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES THAT THERE WERE POLITICAL OVERTONES ASSOCIATED WITH SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE.

>>WELL, ONE OF THOSE AREAS THAT YOU'VE DIFFERED WITH THE GOVERNOR ON MOST RECENTLY IS YOUR ABILITY TO LEVY FINES AGAINST BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS.

THE GOVERNOR HAS ISSUED AN ORDER, OVERTURNING FINES ISSUED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT DECISION?

AND DOES IT RENDER YOUR STRIKE TEAMS INEFFECTIVE?

>>NO, BECAUSE OUT OF THE PERHAPS NINE MONTHS THAT WE HAVE HAD COMPLIANCE OR STRIKE TEAMS IN PLACE, MY ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO DRIVE UP THE COMPLIANCE.

WE SIMPLY WANTED TO HOLD BUSINESSES ACCOUNTABLE, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS ACCOUNTABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, TO DOING WHAT WAS IN THE BEST AND THE SAFEST INTEREST OF ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS.

WE GOT TO 99% COMPLIANCE.

WE WERE HOVERING AROUND THE 80 PERCENTILE.

BUT ONCE WE BEGAN TO ENACT FINES, WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THAT UP TO 99%.

SO WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR GOAL IN ORDER TO GET THAT LAST HARDCORE GROUP WHO WAS RESISTING COMPLYING WITH THE VARIOUS ORDERS, THEY NEEDED THE INCENTIVE OF FINES.

BUT WITHOUT THE COMPLIANCE TEAMS, WITHOUT THEIR PROACTIVE, PREVENTATIVE AND INTERVENTION RELATED FOCUS, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT TYPE OF SUCCESS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>>LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE VACCINE ROLLOUT.

MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT CONFUSION OVER VACCINE ELIGIBILITY AND INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN VACCINATION SITES, HAS THE VACCINE ROLL-OUT BEEN HANDLED WELL IN FLORIDA DO YOU THINK?

>>I HAVE WRITTEN TO THE GOVERNOR AND TO THE LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, ABOUT MAKING SOME MODIFICATIONS HERE THAT'S UNIQUE TO ORANGE COUNTY.

AT THIS POINT, RECENTLY THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE'RE MAKING SOME DECISIONS THAT MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FOR OTHER COUNTIES.

I DO BELIEVE THAT IN TERMS OF THE ROLLOUT, THERE'S SOME EVIDENCE OUT THERE THAT SUGGEST THAT SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE AT THE STATE LEVEL, WERE A POLITICAL OVERTONE.

AND THAT SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE.

THERE HAVE BEEN DISPARITIES THAT HAS RESULTED FROM SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT COMMUNITIES EARLY ON WOULD BE THE LOCATION FOR THE ROLLOUT.

IT HAS HAD SOME NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES IN WHICH MINORITY COMMUNITIES HAVE NOT AND PROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN THE DATA.

WE WILL WORK WITH THE FEDERALS AND STATE AUTHORITIES ON ENSURING THAT THE TARGETS ARE HIT FOR ALL OF THE VARIOUS DEMOGRAPHICS.

>>ALL RIGHT ABE.

WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT VACCINES.

ORANGE COUNTY THIS WEEK EXTENDED VACCINE ELIGIBILITY TO ANY EMPLOYEES OF POLICE, FIRE OR CORRECTIONS AGENCIES REGARDLESS OF AGE.

THE GOVERNOR BY THE WAY, CRITICIZED GIVING VACCINES TO YOUNGER, HEALTHY PEOPLE THIS WEEK AS QUOTE, "NOT GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH."

WHAT ARE VACCINATION NUMBERS LOOKING LIKE IN OUR COMMUNITY NOW AND STATEWIDE?

>>SO RIGHT NOW, FLORIDA HAS GIVEN ABOUT 75% OF THE 9.8 MILLION SHOTS THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

SO WE'RE RANKING RIGHT AROUND 37 OUT OF 50.

WE'RE RIGHT AROUND THE NATIONAL AVERAGE AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF THE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THAT'S FULLY VACCINATED.

AND WE'RE TRACKING IN ...

I TEND TO LOOK AT TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA AS A BENCHMARK, BECAUSE THEY'RE SIMILAR, BOTH VERY LARGE STATES AND THEY HAVE VERY DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO THE PANDEMIC.

SO IT'S A GOOD BENCHMARK TO SEE.

AND RIGHT NOW, CALIFORNIA IS A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF FLORIDA AS FAR AS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION GETTING VACCINATED.

TEXAS IS A LITTLE BIT BEHIND.

SO THAT TELLS ME WE'RE ABOUT WHERE I WOULD EXPECT US TO BE.

ON THE GOOD NEWS FRONT, THE CDC DID COME OUT WITH A STUDY THIS WEEK LOOKING AT THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO GOT THE FIRST SHOT BUT MISSED THEIR SECOND SHOT.

AND THAT'S BEEN A CONCERN WITH PFIZER AND MODERNA BECAUSE IT IS A TWO-SHOT VACCINE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF LOGISTICS OF GETTING SOMEONE TO BE ABLE TO GET ONE SHOT AND THEN GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRANSPORTATION AND HAVE A SECOND SHOT ON DECK TO GET THAT SECOND ONE TO BOOST THE IMMUNITY UP.

AND RIGHT NOW FLORIDA, ONLY ABOUT 3% OF THE PEOPLE HAVE MISSED THEIR SECOND SHOT, WHICH IS A LOT OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGISTS THAT I'VE TALKED TO ABOUT SINCE, ARE VERY PLEASED WITH THAT NUMBER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF EFFICACY THAT ONE SHOT HAS BEEN SHOWING WITH SOME OF THE MORE RECENT STUDIES FOR PFIZER AND MODERNA.

SO OVERALL, I THINK WE'RE TRENDING ABOUT WHERE I WOULD EXPECT US GIVEN THE SIZE OF OUR STATE AND JUST THE DIFFICULTIES IN GETTING THE MILLIONS OF VACCINES OUT AND THEN DISTRIBUTED OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO ARMS.

>>YEAH.

AND ABE THAT BLANKET AGE TO QUALIFY FOR VACCINATION IN FLORIDA DROPPED TO 60 THIS WEEK, RIGHT?

TURNOUT SEEMS TO BE BELOW WHAT SITES CAN HANDLE.

HAS THE GOVERNOR GIVEN ANY INDICATION OF WHO MIGHT QUALIFY NEXT AND WHEN?

HE'S VOICED CONCERN OVER SUPPLY THIS WEEK SAYING THAT THE SUPPLY OF THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE IS STAGNANT.

>>WELL, THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE BEING STAGNANT, THAT WAS TO BE EXPECTED, BECAUSE JOHNSON & JOHNSON HAD A SUPPLY ON HAND THAT THEY HAD READY FOR WHEN THEY GOT THE EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION, AND THEY BASICALLY SHIP THAT OUT TO STATES.

THERE WAS SOME HOPE THAT WITH THE MANUFACTURING DEALS THAT THEY HAVE CUT SINCE THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET MORE OUT QUICKLY.

BUT THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE ELIGIBILITY, THE GOVERNOR HAS BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT THAT RIGHT NOW WE WENT FROM 65 TO 60, AND HIS NEXT AGE RANGE IS GOING TO BE 55 AND UP.

>>SO HE IS SAYING THAT 55 IS HIS NEXT ONE.

HE BELIEVES THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE IN MARCH, AND THEN HE THINKS THAT BY MAY 1ST, WHICH IS THE TARGET THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS SET TO OPEN ALL ADULTS REGARDLESS OF AGE, ANYONE WHO WANTS IT.

SO DESANTIS SAID THAT HE THINKS THAT WE WILL BEAT THAT MAY 1ST TARGET.

THAT SOMETIME BEFORE THEN, LIKELY IN APRIL, WE WILL SEE A SWITCH TO WHERE ANYONE WHO WANTS A SHOT CAN GO AHEAD AND GET IN LINE TO GET ONE.

>>NADEEN, LET ME JUST TURN TO YOU.

THE STATE DEATH TOLL REACHED 33,000 THIS WEEK, BUT THERE HAS BEEN A SHARP DECLINE IN DEATHS THIS MONTH LOCALLY, WHAT DO HEALTH OFFICIALS ATTRIBUTE THAT TO?

>>WE ARE SEEING A DECLINE IN CASES.

IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE WHEN I CALLED SEMINOLE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS, ALLEN HARRIS, DONNA WALSH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THEY SAY THEY ARE SEEING A DECLINE, BUT THEY WOULDN'T SAY IT'S A SHARP DECLINE.

THEY SAY IT'S MORE OF A GRADUAL DECLINE.

AND OF COURSE, WE CAN ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE VACCINE ROLLOUT.

WE HAVE BEEN TARGETING THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.

THOSE DEATHS IN THOSE AGE GROUPS HAVE BEEN GOING DOWN, AND THE BEST NEWS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM DR. PINO THIS WEEK IN THE MOST RECENT NEWS CONFERENCE, WAS THAT WE'RE AT A 97% RECOVERY RATE.

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, 97% OF THE PEOPLE GETTING COVID-19 ARE RECOVERING, THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO A 100% RECOVERY RATE, AND THAT PLAYS IN DIRECTLY TO THE DECLINE OF DEATHS THAT WE'RE SEEING.

>>AND THERE HAVE BEEN MORE REPORTS THIS WEEK OF EARLY VACCINE ACCESS.

THE MIAMI HERALD'S REPORTED THAT DESANTIS IS FACING A FEDERAL COMPLAINT OVER VACCINE FAVORITISM, AND SOME DEMOCRATS ARE HITTING THE GOVERNOR OVER VACCINATION EVENTS IN THOSE WEALTHY ZIP CODES.

HOW HAS THE GOVERNOR RESPONDED TO THAT CONTROVERSY THAT HE CONTINUES TO FACE QUESTIONS OVER?

>>WHEN IT COMES TO THE WEALTHY ZIP CODES, YOU'RE RIGHT.

THIS STEMS FROM AN INCIDENT BACK IN MANATEE COUNTY ABOUT A MONTH AGO, AROUND VALENTINE'S DAY.

THE GOVERNOR HAD SET UP ONE OF THESE POP-UP SITES OF THOUSANDS OF VACCINES IN A WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT THERE ARE REPORTS THAT SOME OF THOSE FOLKS HAD DONATED TO HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN, THAT IS NOW SPARKING CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION.

THE GOVERNOR'S RESPONSE, HE SAYS, HE WAS TARGETING COUNTIES WHERE THE PERCENTAGE OF SENIORS GETTING VACCINATED WAS LOW.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, IT FALLS IN LINE WITH HIS DEFENSE.

BACK IN THAT WEEK, MANATEE COUNTY IS IN THE BOTTOM FOUR OF HAVING THEIR SENIORS VACCINATED.

ONLY 28% OF THE SENIORS WERE VACCINATED AT THAT POINT WHEN ACROSS THE STATE, THE AVERAGE WAS 39%.

SO THAT WAS THE GOVERNOR'S RESPONSE INTO WHY HE WAS THERE IN THAT COUNTY, WHY HE WAS THERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, I'VE NOT A CLEAR RESPONSE FROM HIM YET.

>>AND YOU CAN FIND MORE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR, JERRY DEMINGS ON OUR WEBSITE AT WUCF.ORG/NEWSNIGHT.

OKAY, NEXT TONIGHT AS SPRING BREAKERS DESCEND ON OUR STATE, LEADERS ARE HOPING THE SEASON GIVES A MUCH NEEDED BOOST TO CENTRAL FLORIDA'S STRUGGLING ECONOMY.

ONE FULL YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED ON THIS PROGRAM MANY TIMES BEFORE, HAS LEFT THE REGION'S CRITICAL HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY REELING, LISTEN TO THIS ASSESSMENT FROM ORANGE COUNTY COMPTROLLER PHIL DIAMOND RECENTLY, WHILE REVEALING THE MOST RECENT TOURISM DEVELOPMENT TAX RECEIPT NUMBERS.

>>FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY, TDT TAX COLLECTIONS WERE $7,678,000.

THAT IS ABOUT A 70% DECREASE FROM JANUARY OF 2020.

SO UNFORTUNATELY FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE BEEN TRACKING THIS, THAT IS THE FIRST MONTH OVER MONTH DECLINE THAT WE'VE HAD IN TDT COLLECTIONS SINCE WE HIT ROCK BOTTOM IN APRIL.

THIS AMOUNT IS LESS THAN WE'VE COLLECTED IN ANY PRE PANDEMIC MONTH SINCE SEPTEMBER, 2004.

AND IT'S ALSO LESS THAN WE'VE COLLECTED IN ANY JANUARY, SINCE 2002.

IN SHORT, TDT COLLECTIONS ARE STILL AT HISTORIC LOW LEVELS, BUT WHILE JANUARY'S RESULTS WERE DISAPPOINTING, THEY WERE NOT COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED DUE TO THE SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES.

>>ALL RIGHT NADEEN, LET ME START WITH YOU.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SPRING BREAK AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR THE ECONOMY.

WE HEARD THAT BLEAK ASSESSMENT THERE FROM THE COMPTROLLER.

WHAT ARE BUSINESSES HOPING FOR THIS TIME?

AND WHAT KINDS OF SILVER LININGS DO LOCAL LEADERS SEE GOING FORWARD?

>>WELL, THERE SHOULD BE SOME CONTEXT TO THAT NUMBER BECAUSE HISTORICALLY OUR NUMBERS ARE NOT GREAT FROM NEW YEAR'S UNTIL EASTER.

THAT IS A SLOW SEASON FOR US WITH TOURISM.

AND YES, THE NUMBERS HAD BEEN INCREASING, ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL DECEMBER, AND THAT'S WHEN WE SAW SOME OF OUR BEST NUMBERS WITH THE PANDEMIC.

VISIT ORLANDO TELLING US THAT THEY HAD OCCUPANCY RATES OF UP TO 50% AROUND CHRISTMAS.

THE GOAL WAS TO GET THAT FOR SPRING BREAK.

SO, WE WERE EXPECTING A LOWER TURNOUT.

OBVIOUSLY 70% IS DEVASTATING TO OUR BIGGEST ECONOMIC DRIVER HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA.

AND A LOT OF TIMES DURING JANUARY THROUGH EASTER, THEY ARE BANKING ON BIG CONVENTIONS AND THE CONVENTIONS ARE JUST NOT BACK.

SO, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN HAVE CONTEXT THERE.

BUT SPRING BREAK DOES GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE.

VISIT ORLANDO SAID THEY WERE HOPING TO GET TO THAT 50% OCCUPANCY RATE.

THE QUESTION IS, THEY'RE UNSURE OF WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE BECAUSE OF LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DECIDING LATE, THEY'RE DECIDING WHAT ARE THE CASES DOING?

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN FLORIDA?

IS IT SAFE?

AND THEY'LL MAKE A LAST MINUTE DECISION.

AND SO, CONSUMER RESEARCH ON HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO GET DURING SPRING BREAK, CAN BE UP IN THE AIR.

BUT FOR SOME CONTEXT, SO WE'RE IN SPRING BREAK NOW, VISIT ORLANDO CLASSIFIED SPRING BREAK IS THE TWO WEEKS BEFORE AND AFTER EASTER.

AND SO WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE TO SEE, BUT SOME SILVER LININGS THERE AS CHRISTMAS WAS A REALLY GOOD OUTLOOK FOR US AS WELL.

>>AND OF COURSE WE JUST SAW THE RESUMPTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE EPIC UNIVERSE PROJECT.

THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN NADEEN, INCLUDES MONEY FOR LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS.

GOVERNOR DESANTIS THIS WEEK REJECTED CALLS FROM SENATOR RICK SCOTT FOR STATES TO RETURN THAT MONEY, SAYING, "THAT MADE NO SENSE."

HOW DOES THE GOVERNOR PROPOSE TO SPEND FLORIDA'S SHARE?

>>WELL, THE BIGGEST NEWS IS FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, HE WANTS TO GET STIMULUS OUT TO THEM.

$1,1000.

$1,000 CHECKS TO ALL FIRST RESPONDERS OUT THERE.

THIS IS A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY.

AND THOUGH THE STATE IS GOING TO GET ABOUT 10 BILLION, HE DOESN'T THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF IT THAT THE STATE WOULD HAVE CONTROL OVER.

ONLY ABOUT $4 BILLION.

SO AGAIN, HE WANTS TO GET THE $1,000 CHECKS OUT TO FIRST RESPONDERS, HE WANTS TO INVEST IN MENTAL HEALTH AND OF COURSE INVEST IN OUR TOURISM, WHICH WE'LL SEE WHERE EXACTLY THAT WILL GO AND HOW MUCH CENTRAL FLORIDA WILL GET.

>>ABE, LET ME TURN TO YOU.

YOU'VE BEEN REPORTING ON SOME OF THE ASSISTANCE IN THE STIMULUS PACKAGE THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE LOST JOBS, INCLUDING WAYS THEY CAN KEEP THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE.

WHAT DID YOU FIND THERE?

>>THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN ONE OF THE MORE UNDER REPORTED PARTS OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.

SO THERE IS A COUPLE OF BIG PROVISIONS ABOUT DEALING WITH KEEPING YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE.

THE BIGGEST ONE IS THAT, IF YOU LOSE YOUR HEALTH CARE AND YOU'RE ABLE TO GO TO HEALTHCARE.GOV AND BUY THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT EXCHANGES, THE SUBSIDIES FOR THAT HAVE GONE UP DRAMATICALLY, AND THE ELIGIBILITY FOR THAT HAS GONE UP AS WELL.

SO, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET ONE THROUGH HEALTHCARE.GOV, IT'S GOING TO PROBABLY BE A MUCH CHEAPER PLAN.

AND ADDITIONALLY, ANYONE WHO'S LOST A JOB, YOU'VE PROBABLY GOTTEN WHAT'S CALLED A COBRA LETTER.

THIS IS BASICALLY A LAW FROM THE 1980S THAT SAYS THAT IF YOU LOSE JOB, YOU CAN KEEP THE HEALTH INSURANCE THAT YOUR JOB IS GIVING YOU.

THE BIG CAVEAT TO THAT THOUGH IS THAT, YOU HAVE TO PAY THE FULL COST.

AND TYPICALLY, AN EMPLOYER IS PAYING ABOUT 80% OF THE COST OF YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE.

AND SO, GIVEN THAT THE STANDARD PLAN RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT SEVEN TO $8,000 A YEAR FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 20,000 PLUS PER YEAR IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE BUYING FOR AN ENTIRE FAMILY.

SO, REALISTICALLY, MOST PEOPLE DO NOT TAKE OUT COBRA BECAUSE IT IS JUST SIMPLY UNAFFORDABLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE GETTING A COBRA LETTER BECAUSE YOU'VE LOST A JOB AND YOU NO LONGER HAVE INCOME.

WHAT THIS CHANGE DOES IS THAT IT PROVIDES 100% OF YOUR COST FOR COBRA THROUGH SEPTEMBER, AND IT'S ACTUALLY RETROACTIVE AS WELL.

SO IF YOU LOST A JOB ALL THE WAY BACK TO MARCH 2020, AND YOU WERE ELIGIBLE FOR COBRA BACK THEN, YOU WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO GET THOSE PREMIUMS COVERED GOING FORWARD FROM NOW UNTIL SEPTEMBER.

SO IT'S A SHORT TERM, ABOUT SIX MONTHS, MAYBE A BAND-AID FIX TO THE SYSTEM, BUT THE WAY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS LOOKED AT IT, THE 100% COST FOR YOUR INSURANCE BEING COVERED IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE UPTAKE FOR THAT, AND IT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE AN OPTION FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IF THEY KNOW IT'S OUT THERE.

IT'S ONE OF THOSE ONES THAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT EXISTS, THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW TO GO BACK AND CALL YOUR EMPLOYER.

BUT, THAT IS AN OPTION NOW.

>>WELL, WE'LL TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN IN A MOMENT WITH MY NEXT GUEST.

MEANWHILE, BE SURE TO JOIN THIS CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WE'RE AT WUCF TV ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM.

ALL RIGHT, FINALLY TONIGHT, A CONVERSATION ABOUT LOSS DURING THE PAST YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC.

ORLANDO BASED REPORTER CHABELI CARRAZANA RECENTLY WROTE A PIECE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF LOSING HER GRANDFATHER TO COVID-19.

SHE'S AN ECONOMICS REPORTER FOR THE NONPROFIT NEWS OUTLET, THE 19TH, COVERING ISSUES AROUND GENDER AND POLITICS.

SHE'S AN OCCASIONAL PANELIST ON OUR SHOW.

>>WE TALK THIS WEEK ABOUT HER GRANDFATHER'S PASSING AND HOW IT'S AFFECTED HER REPORTING ON THE PANDEMIC.

>>IN DECEMBER.

MY BROTHER GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE.

HE HAD A VIRTUAL CEREMONY IN MY PARENTS' HOUSE AND MY MOST IMMEDIATE FAMILY, MY PARENTS AND MY GRANDPARENTS WENT TO THAT.

AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I THINK BY DECEMBER ... AND I WRITE ABOUT THIS IN THE PIECE A LITTLE BIT, OUR ALGORITHM OF RISK HAD CHANGED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE ALLOWING, WHAT WE WEREN'T ALLOWING.

AND IT WAS A TOUGH CHOICE WITH MY GRANDFATHER WAS ALMOST 80 YEARS OLD AND MY MOM WAS AT THE POINT WHERE, HOW MANY MORE THINGS IS HE GOING TO MISS OUT ON?

WE'LL BE SAFE, WE'LL WEAR MASKS AND EVERYTHING.

AND WE DID, BUT WITHIN ABOUT TWO DAYS OF THAT, ESSENTIALLY ALL OF US WERE SICK.

>>MY GRANDFATHER ENDED UP GOING TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE HE HAD SHORTNESS OF BREATH.

AND IT STARTED OFF, THE FIRST TWO WEEKS AS HE WAS DOING FAIRLY OKAY.

HE WAS IN FACT GETTING BETTER.

HIS INFECTION WAS GROWING SMALLER.

HE WAS REQUIRING LESS AND LESS OXYGEN, BUT HE WAS STILL REQUIRING SO MUCH THAT HE NEEDED TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL.

AND THERE WAS A POINT WHERE THE WHOLE SITUATION FLIPPED COMPLETELY.

AND HE NEEDED TO GO TO THE ICU, TO THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, AND HE NEEDED TO BE INTUBATED AND PUT ON A VENTILATOR.

ALL OF THAT HAPPENED WITHIN ABOUT 24 HOURS, WHERE HE HAD BEEN DOING OKAY, AND THEN SUDDENLY HE WASN'T.

I WRITE ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT IN THE PIECE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO GO INTO THE ICU.

THIS WAS A COVID WARD IN THE ICU, AND SEE EVERYBODY AND ESPECIALLY SEE HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKED REALLY, REALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE PERSON WE HAVE BEEN FACETIMING WITH UP UNTIL THAT POINT.

AND WAS REALLY, REALLY SWOLLEN HAD THE INTUBATION TUBE AND THE NEXT DAY WE REALIZED, EVERY ORGAN IS FAILING.

THERE REALLY ISN'T AN OPTION HERE.

AND SO WE DECIDED TO TAKE HIM OFF THE MEDICATIONS AND HE PASSED AWAY ON JANUARY 15TH.

>>DID THAT EXPERIENCE COLOR THE WAY YOU COVERED THE PANDEMIC FROM THAT POINT OUT?

>>FOR ALL OF US, THE MAGNITUDE OF MORE THAN 500,000 DEAD IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND IT, AND ESPECIALLY COVERING IT FOR SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

AND YOU DO START TO LOOK AT IT MORE CLINICALLY AS AND MORE OF A STATISTIC.

IT GETS HARDER TO REALLY PARSE OUT IN YOUR HEAD WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS.

AND I WRITE ABOUT IT IN THE PIECE A LITTLE BIT WHERE I SAY, "I DIDN'T REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT ALL 500,000, I REALLY JUST NEEDED TO THINK ABOUT ONE AND THE PAIN THAT WE ENDURED AS A FAMILY AND WHAT WE SAW AS A FAMILY, IMAGINING THAT MULTIPLIED ACROSS FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY."

>>AND SO THAT'S WHERE YOU REALLY START TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW SHOCKING THIS VIRUS IS BECAUSE, YOU JUST HAVE A LOT MORE COMPASSION, I THINK FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHEN, NOT NECESSARILY YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THE SAME EXPERIENCE, BUT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH GRIEF AND YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH WHAT I TALKED ABOUT IN THE STORY AS, OUR BIG COMMUNAL LOSS OR GREAT COMMUNAL LOSS.

WE'RE ALL MORE SO UNITED IN A WAY, BECAUSE, A LOT OF US AT LEAST HAVE PROBABLY BEEN TOUCHED IN SOME WAY BY THIS KIND OF LOSS.

>>AND YOU WROTE THAT HE WAS IN FACT VERY CLOSE TO RECEIVING THE VACCINE.

>>THAT WAS REALLY THE MOST GUTTING THING THAT STAYED WITH US AFTER HE PASSED AWAY.

BECAUSE, WE WERE PRETTY CERTAIN WE HAD DONE EVERYTHING WE COULD, WE HAD EXHAUSTED EVERY AVENUE.

BUT THE ONE THING THAT REALLY GNAWED AT ME AFTERWARD WAS, HE WAS SO CLOSE TO THE VACCINE.

HE LIVES IN A SENIOR APARTMENT COMPLEX, AND SO ESSENTIALLY, OFFICIALS CAME DOWN TO THAT BUILDING AND VACCINATED EVERYBODY WHEN HE WAS IN THE HOSPITALS, THAT LAST WEEK THAT HE WAS REALLY, REALLY SICK.

SO, HAD HE NOT GOTTEN SICK WHEN HE DID, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT FIRST DOSE WITHIN TWO WEEKS.

SO HE WAS VERY CLOSE.

SO I THINK ABOUT THAT A LOT WHEN, I THINK ABOUT VACCINATION AND HOW PEOPLE GETTING VACCINATED AT MASS VACCINATION SITES AND JUST WHAT A RELIEF THAT IS TO BE ABLE TO REACH THAT MILESTONE BECAUSE, ESPECIALLY FOR US WE SO NARROWLY MISSED IT.

>>WE'VE PUT A LINK TO THE STORY YOU WROTE FOR THE 19TH ON OUR WEBSITE.

IT'S AT WUCF.ORG/NEWSNIGHT.

OF COURSE, YOU COVER ECONOMIC ISSUES FOR THE 19TH.

AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT ANOTHER PIECE THAT YOU WROTE ON THE NEW $1.9 TRILLION STIMULUS PACKAGE.

YOU WROTE THAT ABOUT HALF OF ALL BLACK AND LATIN X CHILDREN WILL BENEFIT FROM THE EXPANSION OF THE CHILD TAX CREDIT.

TELL US HOW THAT'LL WORK.

>>THERE ARE A LOT OF PRONGS TO THIS PACKAGE THAT ARE I THINK TAILORED SPECIFICALLY TO HELP THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN MOST HURT FINANCIALLY BY THIS RECESSION, ESPECIALLY WOMEN.

BUT CERTAINLY I THINK THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PIECE IS THE CHILD TAX CREDIT EXPANSION.

SO RIGHT NOW, ESSENTIALLY FAMILIES GET ABOUT $2,000 PER CHILD IN THEIR TAXES ANNUALLY.

THIS EXPANSION WILL INCREASE THAT AMOUNT TO $3,000 FOR CHILDREN AGES SIX TO 17, AND $3,600 FOR CHILDREN UNDER SIX.

AND THEN THE MOST, I THINK NOTABLE PART OF THIS IS THAT, IT EXPANDS THE CREDIT IN TERMS OF AVAILABILITY AND ELIGIBILITY.

>>SO, THE LOWEST INCOME FAMILIES, THE FAMILIES THAT ARE PAYING $0 IN TAXES EVERY YEAR, THEY WERE NOT ELIGIBLE TO FULLY RECEIVE THIS CREDIT PRIOR TO THE PASSAGE OF THE RELIEF BILL.

NOW THEY ARE AND THEY WILL BE FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

THERE ARE OTHER ELEMENTS TO THIS BILL, RIGHT?

THERE'S $40 BILLION IN EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR THE CHILDCARE INDUSTRY.

THERE'S THE $1,400 CHECKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING VERY, VERY SOON IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, AND THERE'S 20 OR ALMOST $30 BILLION IN RENT RELIEF, TO HELP FAMILIES PAY FOR RENT FOR UTILITIES.

WE ALREADY HAD ISSUES HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA WITH AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WITH GOOD TRANSPORTATION, WITH LOW WAGES.

WE HAVE ONE OF THE LOWEST WAGES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA OF THE TOP 50 METROS IN THE COUNTRY.

SO, WHEN YOU PAIR ALL THOSE THINGS TOGETHER, AND THEN YOU HAVE A DOMINANT HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY THAT IS THE MOST ATTACKED AND MOST HURT BY THIS VIRUS AND BY THIS RECESSION, IT JUST PLAYS OUT THAT THIS AREA IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE AND SO, YOU HAVE A LOT OF LOW WAGE WORKERS THAT ARE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF CUSHION.

AND SO IF THEY'VE LOST THEIR JOBS AS WE'VE SEEN, THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF OPTIONS FOR THEM.

>>YEAH.

AND THE ROLLOUT OF THE STIMULUS PACKAGE IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WATCH HERE ON NEWSNIGHT.

WELL, THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR THIS WEEK.

MY THANKS TO ABE ABORAYA OF 90.7 WMFE AND HEALTH NEWS FLORIDA, AND NADEEN YANES OF WKMG NEWS 6.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT AT 8:30 HERE ON WUCF.

FROM ALL OF US HERE AT NEWSNIGHT, TAKE CARE AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.