As part of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended his statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to July 1. Without this order, the moratorium would have expired on Tuesday morning.
"I hereby extend Executive Order 20-94, as extended by Executive Order 20-121, until 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2020,'' the executive order reads. DeSantis announced the extension via an email sent out shortly before 8 p.m. on July 1.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, [1]State Rep. Anna Eskamani, applauded the move, but bemoaned that it took so long.
“Floridians need to be fully paid with their unemployment benefits before they’re expected to make monthly payments like rent," Eskamani said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel. “I have been requesting an extension on this moratorium since April and am glad to see it happen, though the last-minute announcement caused unnecessary anxiety for those still waiting for unemployment benefits.”
In addition, the state of Florida is preparing how to respond to any future storms while taking the coronavirus pandemic into account, Fox News reports [2].
DeSantis said at a press conference this month that COVID-19 will be around in some form during hurricane season, and the state needs to rethink how to provide shelter for thousands who may need to evacuate if any storms threaten the state.
“This virus really thrives and transmits when you have close sustained contact with people inside an enclosed environment,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Sarasota. “As you're looking at sheltering for a hurricane, you have to keep that in mind. If you pile people into a place, under normal circumstances that may be fine, but that would potentially allow the virus to really spread if somebody is, in fact, infected.”