The Daily Sea turtles nesting, laying more PAGE 1B SUN School debate amid Collin Morikawa wins pandemic continues Workday Charity Open Charlotte • DeSoto • Sarasota PAGE 10A in playoff PAGE 7B MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020 | YOURSUN.COM | AN EDITION OF THE SUN | $1.50 What’s next Florida reports largest for GOP increase in COVID cases convention? By ZEKE MILLER ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — After months of insisting that the Republican National Convention go off as scheduled despite the pandemic, President Donald Trump is slowly coming to accept that the late August event will not be the four-night infomercial for his reelection that he had anticipated. After a venue change, spiking coro- navirus cases and a sharp recession, Trump aides and allies are increasingly questioning whether it’s worth the trouble, and some are advocating that the convention be scrapped altogether. Conventions are meant to lay out a candidate’s vision for the coming four years, not spark months of intrigue over the health and safety of attendees, they have argued. Ultimately, the decision on whether to move forward will be Trump’s alone. Already the 2020 event has seen a venue change –- to more Trump-friendly territory in Jacksonville, Florida, from Charlotte, North Carolina — and it has been drastically reduced in scope. For technical reasons, the convention will be unable to formally adopt a new party platform. And what is normally a high- light of the convention — the roll call of the states to renominate the president — is set to be conducted through proxy votes in the original host city. AP PHOTO Still, Trump and his aides had pinned Guests wear masks as required to attend the official reopening day of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World their hopes on creating the pageantry on Saturday in Lake Buena Vista. Disney reopened two Florida parks, the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on of a formal acceptance speech in Saturday, with limited capacity and safety protocols in place even as the number of coronavirus cases soar in Florida. SEE GOP, 4A of daily positive cases — 11,694, set on said University of Florida epidemiol- Biggest single-day Wednesday. New York had 11,571 on ogist Dr. Cindy Prins, adding that the increase in cases in April 15. state and local health departments The numbers come at the end of a should ramp up their contact tracing. any one state since grim, record-breaking week as Florida Prins said that she’s still concerned reported 514 fatalities — an average about large crowds, gyms and some pandemic started of 73 per day. Three weeks ago, the restaurants as being places of mass state was averaging 30 deaths per day. transmission. Reports of illegal clubs By TAMARA LUSH and TERRY SPENCER Since the pandemic began in March, and raves in South Florida is also a ASSOCIATED PRESS 4,346 people have died in Florida of worry, she said. COVID-19, the state says. “I really do think we could control ST. PETERSBURG — Florida Testing has doubled over the last this, and it’s the human element that shattered the national record Sunday month, going from about 25,000 tests is so critical. It should be an effort for the largest single-day increase in per day to almost 50,000, but the per- of our country. We should be pulling positive coronavirus cases in any state centage of people testing positive has together when we’re in a crisis, and since the beginning of the pandemic, risen even more dramatically. A month we’re definitely not doing it,” she said. adding more than 15,000 cases as its ago, fewer than 5% of tests came up “I know people want to live their lives. AP FILE PHOTO daily average death toll continued to positive on a daily average. Over the There have been a lot of other times, also rise. past week, the daily average exceeded people have made those sacrifices in After months of insisting that the According to state Department of 19%. order to benefit our society. It’s almost Republican National Convention go off Health statistics, 15,299 people tested About 10.7% of Saturday’s 143,000 like a war effort. That’s what we need as scheduled despite the coronavirus positive, for a total of 269,811 cases, and tests came up positive, with an average right now.” pandemic, President Donald Trump is 45 deaths were recorded. age of 38. “I still think we need to slowly coming to accept that the event California had the previous record increase our testing a little bit more,” SEE CASES, 4A will not be what he had anticipated. To have or have not depends on Census Sarasota and Lee counties. HUD, for example,” Hogan said Charlotte strains against the The number is slightly lower Census response Counties with more than Thursday. “Because we are limits of non-entitlement fund- in Charlotte County, where more important to 250,000 people have a direct line smaller, we have to apply to the ing, so making every person 61% have reported. It is a to federal funding allocations, state of Florida for what is left count in the census figures is figure that has remained fairly Charlotte County while those who fall below over after the big communities vital. static since the end of April. the figure are left to petition get their money. They don’t In 2010, 60.3% of the county than its neighbors Tallahassee for the scraps. have to fight for anything. The THE RESPONSE self-reported. That’s why Angela Hogan rest of us have to compete, Self-reporting of the U.S. Statewide, 2020 reporting is at By PATRICK OBLEY found herself in front of her literally, for what is left over Census survey has always been a 59.1% clip. Lee County (55.9) STAFF WRITER computer Wednesday evening, and some of us get nothing.” an erratic proposition. In 2010, lags while Sarasota (62.2) is on posting census response figures It’s known as being en- the response rate was 74%, par with the national figure. There is a number that on her Facebook page. She titled and non-entitled. As leaving door-to-door census Relying on door-to-door census defines Florida’s haves and also posted the information Charlotte County continues workers to fill in the blanks. workers is problematic in have-nots: 250,000. on her agency’s website: its slow march toward the So far in 2020 despite the normal times, but especially so It’s a number that deepens GulfCoastPartnership.org. 250,000 threshold, its battle for added convenience of online in the era of COVID-19. Fear of the lines that define Charlotte “If we were Sarasota, we federal funding grows more reporting, the national figure is County and divides it from would get funding directly from acute. Every dollar counts as stagnating at 62%. SEE CENSUS, 4A TODAY’S WEATHER INSIDE SPORTS LOCAL DAILY BREAK 2016 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER 8B 4-5B High 92, Low 77 TODAY Lottery Opinion Comics and A thunderstorm in spots Sports on TV 8B Police Beat 2B Puzzles 3-5D Bible verse 2A Dear Abby 5D Charlie on Census: SEE PAGE 10B Heloise 4D Make sure you get counted, 7 05252 00025 8 Horoscopes 3D it really counts to be counted. VOL. 128, NO. 195 | $1.50 PAGE 2A MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020 | The Sun | www.yoursun.com N/E/P/C ALMANAC Florida COVID-19 by the numbers Today is Monday, July 13, the 21 injured in fire aboard ship 195th day of 2020. There are (As of 8:45 p.m. July 12) 171 days left in the year. • Global cases: 12,865,184 George Zimmerman • Global deaths: 567,995 at Naval Base San Diego cleared of charges for • U.S. cases: 3,301,820 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Twenty- death of Black teen • U.S. deaths: 135,171 one people suffered minor On July 13, 2013, a jury • Florida tests: 2,576,813 injuries in an explosion and fire Sunday on board a ship at Naval in Sanford, Florida, • Florida cases: 269,811 Base San Diego, military officials cleared neighborhood said. watch volunteer George • Florida deaths: 4,346 The blaze was reported shortly Zimmerman of all charges • Charlotte County before 9 a.m. on USS Bonhomme in the shooting of Trayvon cases: 1,117 Richard, said Mike Raney, a Martin, the unarmed Black spokesman for Naval Surface teenager whose killing • Charlotte County Force, US Pacific Fleet. unleashed furious debate deaths: 79 Seventeen sailors and four over racial profiling, self- • DeSoto County cases: 831 civilians were hospitalized with defense and equal justice. “non-life threatening injuries,” • 11 DeSoto County deaths: Raney said in a brief statement. On this date • Lee County cases: 10,123 He didn’t provide additional details. deadly rioting AP PHOTO In 1863, • Lee County deaths: 187 Previously officials said at least against the Civil War military • Sarasota County one person was treated for smoke Smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base draft erupted in New York cases: 3,106 inhalation. San Diego on Sunday in San Diego after an explosion and fire on City. (The insurrection was The cause of the fire was under board the ship at Naval Base San Diego. put down three days later.) • Sarasota County investigation. It wasn’t immedi- deaths: 100 ately known where on the 840- were on board, Raney said — far aboard USS Bonhomme In 1965, President Lyndon Richard,” Gilday said in a B. Johnson nominated Most cases in Florida: foot amphibious assault vessel fewer than the thousand typically Dade County (64,444); the blast and the fire occurred.