As Florida’s Covid-19 Cases Pass 500,000, Desperate Cities And Counties Fight For Dwindling Federal Dollars

Despite a recent dip in new infections, Florida reported an additional 5,409 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the Sunshine State’s total to over 500,000, while setting a new record for hospitalizations.

Florida now has more cases than Spain, Mexico, France and Italy. 

Compounding the state’s struggle to contain the pandemic is the threat of dwindling federal aid under the Coronavirus Relief Fund, a $150 billion federal program that helps with the purchase of protective equipment, payment of first responders and other coronavirus-associated costs.

Florida was allocated roughly $8 billion in March, but much of it was given to state and county authorities, leaving cities with gaping holes in their budgets and no relief through the aid money, according to The Washington Post.

Now as aid dwindles four months later and Washington D.C. struggles to break through its political stalemate, cash-strapped governments are racing to grab the remains; some cities, including Miami, are threatening to sue their own counties to obtain the federal support they believe they are owed. 

The sustained knock on shopping, tourism and employment has caused even the most stable Florida cities to slash budgets and spiral into disarray. 

Last week, mayors from 163 Florida cities sent a letter to Congress pleading for more aid, describing the money already authorized under the Cares Act as insufficient considering how hard the state was hit by Covid-19.