NEW NE WS
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
¶ Universal Orlando cuts water usage by over a third to avoid pandemic-related water shortages
PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
Florida parents and the DeSantis administration are playing tug of war with public school teachers’ and students’ lives BY JIM SAUNDERS, NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
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arents locked in a legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis about school mask requirements want to fast-track the case to the Florida Supreme Court. Attorneys for the group of parents filed a request late Friday to effectively bypass the 1st District Court of Appeal and go to the Supreme Court. The request, filed at the 1st District Court of Appeal, focuses heavily on a July 30 executive order issued by DeSantis that sought to prevent schools from requiring students to wear masks. “No child has died from the requirement to wear a mask while indoors at school; however, children have died from contracting COVID-19,” the 11-page request said. “Undoubtedly, this executive order, which directly affects the health of appellees’ [parents’] children, as well as all the children of Florida, constitutes an issue of great public importance.” Also, it contended that “immediate resolution” by the Supreme Court is needed because the school year is underway. “In the first week of school, across Florida, cases of COVID-19 occurred at a rate 10 times higher than at the same time last year (at which time students were required to wear masks),” the request said. “Both children and adults are sick and dying as a result of COVID-19. Thus, there is a palpable urgency for immediate review by the Florida Supreme Court in this matter.” The request came after a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday placed a stay on a ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, who found that DeSantis overstepped his constitutional authority with the executive order. The stay cleared the way for the state to continue trying to block schools from requiring masks while the underlying appeal of Cooper’s judgment moves forward. In issuing the stay, the panel of the Tallahassee-based appeals court expressed skepticism about the parents’
lawsuit. “Upon our review of the trial court’s final judgment and the operative pleadings, we have serious doubts about standing, jurisdiction, and other threshold matters,” said Friday’s order by appellate Judges Stephanie Ray, Harvey Jay and Adam Tanenbaum. “These doubts significantly militate against the likelihood of the appellees’ ultimate success in this appeal.” The parents filed the lawsuit Aug. 6 against DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the Department of Education and the State Board of Education. Following the executive order, the Florida Department of Health issued a rule that said parents should have the right to opt out of student mask requirements. While DeSantis argues parents should be able to decide whether their children wear masks, 13 districts bucked the executive order and Department of Health rule, only allowing students to forgo masks if their parents present documented medical reasons. That has led to Corcoran pursuing financial penalties against districts that have approved such policies. In his Sept. 2 ruling siding with the parents, Cooper said DeSantis overstepped his authority, He also cited a new state law known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which deals with parents’ right to control health and educational decisions for their children. Cooper said Corcoran and the Department of Education improperly imposed financial penalties on districts that enacted mask mandates without giving the districts due process. “The law of Florida does not permit the defendants to punish school boards, its members, or officials for adopting face mask mandates with no parental opt-outs if the schools boards have been denied their due process rights under the Parents’ Bill of Rights to show that this policy is reasonable and meets the requirements of the statute,” Cooper wrote. news@orlandoweekly.com
Universal Orlando is doing their part to avoid a water shortage in Orlando. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the park has cut their water consumption by over 1 million gallons a day in the face of a potential potable water shortage in the city. The Orlando Utilities Commission asked residents to cut back on irrigation and nonessential water use last month, as the liquid oxygen they use to treat city water is in short supply. The shortage comes as hospitals throughout the region are using liquid oxygen to treat a rash of hospitalized coronavirus patients. Universal Orlando heeded a personal request to cut back, limiting their water usage by nearly 38%, according to OUC’s Tim Trudell. The park cut back on irrigation, pressure-washing and dishwasher use to save water. Many of the park’s culinary options switched to disposable plates. “We have been working directly with OUC on this issue and we are significantly expanding our efforts,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder told the paper. “This will include significant reduction of exterior cleaning and watering schedules as well as a review of all our water use for opportunities to conserve even more.” Overall, efforts to cut back on water use in Orlando have not had their desired effect. While the weekly usage of water across the system has declined by 10 million gallons, it hasn’t reached the requested level from OUC. Should a crisis of supply continue, the city may face actual shortages of water. —Alex Galbraith
¶ Dr. Phillips Center to require negative COVID-19 test for masked, indoor shows Because we’re still in this pandemic somehow, the Dr. Phillips Center has updated its policy around indoor concerts. Starting Friday, Oct. 1, they will require all concert attendees to show a negative COVID-19 test for entry. If the attendee is fully vaccinated, they can show their proof of vaccination in lieu of the test. In addition to the new requirements, all concertgoers over the age of 2 will be required to mask up. “If an existing ticket holder is unable to comply with these updated policies, they can contact the Bill & Mary Darden Box Office at the Dr. Phillips Center for a full refund,” the venue wrote in a statement on the changes. None of the new requirements are applicable for Frontyard Festival, their outdoor series of concerts. —AG
¶ Volusia County councilman who called COVID-19 a hoax hospitalized with COVID-19 A QAnon-supporting Volusia County councilman is currently hospitalized with COVID-19, just a few short months after he called the pandemic a hoax during a sermon at his church. Fred Lowry, 66, is in the middle of his second term on the council and serves as the senior pastor of Deltona Lakes Baptist Church. His fellow councilmembers reported during a meeting that he’s been hospitalized with complications from coronavirus since Monday. “He is in the hospital wrestling with COVID-19,” said County Chair Jeff Brower, per the Daytona Beach News-Journal. In a text to that paper, councilwoman Billie Wheeler said that Lowry had been sick for several weeks. “He has been sick for around two weeks and got the antibody (treatment) last Friday and went to the emergency room late last night,” Wheeler said. During a sermon this summer, Lowry told his congregation that the pandemic was cooked up and referred to Anthony Fauci as “Dr. Falsey.” “We did not have a pandemic, folks. We were lied to,” Lowry said, before launching into conspiracy theories about satanic cabals of elites and disbelief in global warming. —AG
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SEPT. 15-21, 2021 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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