Weekly Report Ending May 2nd: Hospitalizations Down, Cases, Positivity Up

Weekly Report Ending May 2nd: Hospitalizations Down, Cases, Positivity Up

TR’s weekly report (April 26 – May 2) on Leon County COVID cases, hospitalizations, and testing positivity rates is detailed below. TR’s April 25th weekly report can be reviewed here. The weekly COVID report, ending May 2nd, shows increases in cases and the positivity rate and a decline in hospitalizations. Since the middle of January 2021, […]

Leon County Mask Ordinance No Longer in Effect

Leon County Mask Ordinance No Longer in Effect

Due to Governor Ron DeSantis’ emergency order signed on Monday, Leon County government released a statement that says the mask ordinance is no longer in effect. The full press release is provided below. “The vaccines are working, but Florida hasn’t yet reached herd immunity and our state is still the nation’s #1 hotspot for B.1.1.7, […]

DeSantis Blocks Local COVID-19 Orders

DeSantis Blocks Local COVID-19 Orders

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended all local-government coronavirus emergency orders on Monday as he signed a bill that makes permanent his ban on COVID-19 vaccine “passports” and limits the authority of cities and counties in future health-care crises. “My message is that the vaccines protect you. […]

Florida’s 2021 Session: Ten Big Issues

Florida’s 2021 Session: Ten Big Issues

By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — The 2021 legislative session ended Friday with a traditional hanky-dropping ceremony in the fourth-floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol. Lawmakers took up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with passing a budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1.  […]

MetroNet Announces Tallahassee Grand Opening

MetroNet Announces Tallahassee Grand Opening

On April 29th, MetroNet announced the grand opening of the Tallahassee market with a ribbon cutting at the first MetroNet storefront in the state of Florida. The Tallahassee storefront is located at 1779 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 109, Tallahassee, FL 32301, and is only a few steps away from other large retailers such as BJ’s Brewhouse […]

First Black Florida Supreme Court Justice Dies at 88

First Black Florida Supreme Court Justice Dies at 88

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Joseph Hatchett, whose groundbreaking career included becoming the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court, died Friday at age 88, the Supreme Court announced Saturday. Hatchett was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Reubin Askew in 1975 and served until 1979, when President […]

Leon County Monthly COVID Deaths Lowest Since July

Leon County Monthly COVID Deaths Lowest Since July

The latest COVID reports show that there has been 314 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since April 2020. The chart below shows the monthly distribution of the deaths from April 2020 to April 2021. The nine reported deaths in April 2021 are the lowest number of deaths since the six reported deaths in July 2020. The […]

LCS Board Member Rasmussen Explains Vote on Charter School Application

LCS Board Member Rasmussen Explains Vote on Charter School Application

In exclusive comments to Tallahassee Reports, Leon County School Board member Dee Dee Rasmussen explained her recent vote against the denial of the Red Hills Academy charter school application. After extensive deliberation at the April 27th meeting, the Board voted against the review team recommendation for approval and sided with Superintendent Hanna’s recommendation to deny […]

LCS Board Votes to Award Instructional Staff 90 Hours in Compensatory Time

LCS Board Votes to Award Instructional Staff 90 Hours in Compensatory Time

The Leon County School Board voted Tuesday night voted to approve a settlement with the Leon County Teachers Association (LCTA) related to student-teacher contact time during the COVID pandemic. The settlement awarded all instructional staff 12 days/90 hours of compensatory time. On November 3, 2020 a grievance was filed with the Labor and Employee Relations Office […]

LCS Denies Charter School Application in 3-2 Vote

LCS Denies Charter School Application in 3-2 Vote

During the April 27th Leon County School Board (LCSB) meeting, Superintendent Rocky Hanna added an item to the agenda related to the review of the Red Hills Academy Charter School Application.  After extensive deliberation, the Board voted against the review team recommendation for approval and sided with Superintendent Hanna’s recommendation to deny the application. The […]