Friday Round-Up: June 19, 2020
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We are all watching the COVID 19 numbers rise in our area. An increase in positive cases was expected when the restrictions were lifted during
Phase 2
. I connected with
Lee Health
and here is their response:
“With the number of cases rising in our community, it is more important than ever to follow the same safety precautions we at
Lee Health
have been advocating since the beginning, especially keeping a safe physical distance from others as much as possible, wearing a mask or face covering when we leave our homes and washing our hands. At this point, we must assume that COVID-19 can be spread by asymptomatic carriers, so wearing a mask in public is one of the easiest and safest ways to slow the spread of the virus. Help us stop the spread, we are stronger together."
#SWFLTogether #SWFLStrongerTogether
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WILL FLORIDA SHUT DOWN AGAIN?
Yesterday afternoon, Governor DeSantis said that it’s important for society to “function,” and said he would not be shutting the state back down. “We are going to continue to protect the most vulnerable. We are going to urge and continue to advise our elderly population to maintain social distancing and avoid crowds,” he said during a press conference. “You have to have society function; you have to be able to have a cohesive society. To suppress a lot of working-age people at this point, I don’t think would be highly effective.” And while some local communities are considering requiring residents to wear masks in public, the Governor said he wouldn’t require them. “I think it would be applied unevenly, and I just don’t think it would end up working,” he explained.
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The budget was given to the Governor on Wednesday and as a reminder, Florida operates under a balanced budget, with no shortfalls. The decreased tax revenue will greatly affect the budget and it is expected that he could cut from $500 million to $1 billion dollars from the budget.
For those of us closely watching water quality and other projects that affect SWFL, we need to be aware.
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As Florida moves further into Phase 2 of relaunching our economy, one question that is top of mind for job providers is, “when will our economy fully recover?” Many people are also wondering what other tools and resources America has up its sleeves to stabilize the economy should we experience a resurgence of the coronavirus.
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This weekend we will celebrate Father’s Day. I lost my Dad in late 2018 but I was very fortunate as he was an amazing man who supported me in every way.
I wanted to share a story about another Dad that I came to know, Coach Anthony Dixon. For those that know me or may have attended the APEX Awards, you have heard this story about my daughter Elizabeth’s senior year at South Fort Myers High School. She played both competitive and school soccer growing up. Her senior year brought new adventures. She played softball for the first time (got a broken nose from a bad ball bounce!) and she was a kicker for the football team.
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Elizabeth’s first interaction with the football coach, Coach Dixon, was during her freshman year. He pulled her aside after watching a preseason varsity soccer game and basically told her she needed to hit the gym because the bigger girls were pushing her off the ball. Four years later, South needs a kicker and she is training with the team. She certainly knows the game of football but being on the field? A whole different story. He took her under his wing, worked with her and shared his only rule for her – “You tackle or attempt to tackle another player, you are off the team”. He didn’t want her getting hurt.
Coach Dixon was a father figure to so many young men on the team and had a strong influence on their futures. But the ultimate “Dad” story includes his own son, Antwan “Duke” Dixon. If you are local, you have heard of him, his great football, and the illness, Aplastic Anemia, a rare blood disorder, that took him off the field both in high school and in college. After a great freshman season, Duke came home to Fort Myers and spent the next two years working through his illness. When Duke needed a transplant, the donor was his best friend, his dad, Anthony. Shear grit and determination not only brought Duke back on the field at Kent State, but also recognized as the
Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year.
I share this story with you because recently Sideline created
this short video about Duke
being a Survivor that was inspiring and I think you will enjoy it.
I can’t pretend to know the tough road that the Dixon family followed but I wanted to share a great “Dad” story with you this weekend. Coach Dixon doesn’t do this on his own, his wife, Shemariah, oh, she is amazing and might have been a little bit tougher than Coach, but with the biggest heart. Coach Dixon is still coaching football and Duke has been approved for a 6th year of eligibility so is at summer camp at Kent.
To all the dads out there – I wish you a great day!
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Have a fantastic weekend and remember to...
Wear Your Mask
Distance Socially
Shop Locally
#ChamberStrong
-Colleen
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