Florida Governor Defends Firing Of Data Scientist; 47,471 Cases

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the firing of a data scientist who worked on the state's coronavirus dashboard Wednesday as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida climbed to 47,471, an increase of 527 new cases over the previous 24-hour period.

The data scientist, Rebekah Jones, told a West Palm Beach television station she was fired for refusing to manipulate data “to drum up support for the plan to reopen,” according to the Associated Press.

"Our data is available. Our data is transparent," the governor insisted on Wednesday, noting Jones was neither an epidemiologist or the chief architect of the state's coronavirus website.The governor said Jones is also accused of cyberstalking and cyber sexual harassment in Florida.

"Any insinuation otherwise is just typical partisan narrative trying to be spun," DeSantis said of Jones' claims regarding data manipulation.

State health officials reported a total of 2,096 deaths involving Florida residents as of Wednesday, up from 2,052 a day earlier.

Twelve Florida counties reported 43 new deaths over the previous 24-hour period compared to 55 new deaths on Tuesday; 24 deaths Monday; eight Sunday; 47 Saturday and 41 Friday.

Miami-Dade reported 11 new deaths on Wednesday. Broward County reported three more deaths. Palm Beach County reported seven new deaths.

Charlotte County reported seven new deaths. Hillsborough County reported four new deaths. Volusia County reported three new deaths. Manatee County reported two new deaths as did Sarasota County.

Osceola County reported one new death as did Pinellas County, Seminole County and Sumter County.

Florida had a 6.1 percent positive test rate for the virus based on a total of 772,669 tests that had been administered as of Wednesday. The number of hospitalizations in Florida increased to 8,681 from 8,494 a day earlier.

State officials disclosed that 1,702 tests administered in May were damaged and would have to be retaken. The samples were among 90,000 collected at drive-thru and walk-up test sites during the month thus far.

"Any person whose sample was damaged will be contacted as soon as possible," officials said. "These individuals will be prioritized for retesting at the site where they were originally tested."

A total of 27,217 cases — or some 57.3 percent of the state's total — were in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Miami-Dade reported 16,034 confirmed cases of the virus as of Wednesday. Nearby Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, reported 6,407 cases. Palm Beach County, which includes West Palm Beach, reported 4,776 cases.

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Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, reported 1,703 cases as of Wednesday. Orange County, which includes Orlando, reported 1,708 cases.

In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing the following county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in Florida's 67 counties, along with the median age of patients, the number of hospital cases by county and the number of deaths.

Related:

• Miami Archbishop Reinstates In-Person Mass For Catholic Faithful
• Venice Diocese Reinstates In-Person Mass For Catholic Faithful
• Tattoo Parlor Owner Frustrated At State's Silence On Reopening
• Sarasota's Lido Beach Reopens
• FL Businesses Move Into Full Phase 1 As Attorney Plans Lawsuit
• Tourist-Driven Miami Will Focus On Road-Trip Strategy
• FL Governor Gives OK For Gyms, Fitness Studios To Reopen Monday
• Miami, Fort Lauderdale Restaurants, Salons Get OK To Reopen
• Florida Pays Out $1.83 Billion In Unemployment Benefits
• Manatee County Lifts 2-Hour Restrictions On Beach Parking
• 15 Residents Evacuated From Nursing Homes After Testing Positive
• Palm Beach Sees Drop In Some, But Not All Crime
• FL Barbershops, Hair And Nail Salons To Reopen
• Blue Angels Salute Health Workers On 75th Anniversary Of V-E Day

Patch updates this chart once each day based on data provided by the Florida Department of Health. The counties that reported new deaths on Wednesday are shown in bold.

Here is the most recent data: