FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD

As migrants, primarily from Cuba and Haiti, continue to arrive in the Florida Keys, more state law enforcement officials are now joining the efforts to tackle the unprecedented crisis.

The chief of the National Guard has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an overseas trip to visit guard troops in Europe for Thanksgiving.

A ceremonial send-off was held Friday morning for more than 450 members of the 1-124th Infantry Regiment of the Florida National Guard. They’re headed for the U.S. Central Command area in the Middle East.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference Monday morning at the Florida National Guard Robert A. Ballard Armory in Miami.

MIAMI – Officials say a sheriff’s deputy was arrested on domestic rape charges while he was deployed to serve near Miami in a Florida National Guard unit. A judge in Highlands County issued the arrest warrant for 39-year-old David Warren Ray. He was arrested on Friday night at the hotel where he was staying. Records show Ray is a sergeant first class with the Army’s 116th Field Artillery Regiment. He had been on deployment in South Florida since January to help with COVID-19 response efforts.

A member of the Florida National Guard directs vehicles at a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site at Marlins Park, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Florida health officials confirmed 5,737 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday and another 120 resident deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus. The state has now verified 1,783,720 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began and 27,816 resident deaths, according to the department of health. A look at the statewide positivity rate for new COVID-19 cases across Florida over the past two weeks. Latest totalsWorldwide, the number of COVID-19 cases reported is more than 106.3 million. AdThe United States has confirmed over 27 million cases and has had more than 463,000 deaths from COVID-19, the highest totals in the world.

Florida health officials confirmed 10,533 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and another 137 resident deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus. The case increase is significantly higher than the 5,730 new cases reported Monday, which had been the state’s lowest since Nov. 16. The state has now verified 1,737,640 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began and 26,822 resident deaths, according to the department of health. Latest totalsWorldwide, the number of COVID-19 cases reported is more than 103.6 million. AdThe United States has confirmed over 26.3 million cases and has had more than 444,000 deaths from COVID-19, the highest totals in the world.

___The sale of spring training tickets for St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins games in Jupiter, Florida, has been delayed because of uncertainty about the schedule for games. Major League Baseball last week proposed a one-month delay in starting spring training due to the coronavirus pandemic. Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter earlier had announced it would begin selling spring training tickets for the Cardinals and Marlins on Monday. ___The Cleveland Indians will not be allowing fans to watch their spring training workouts in Arizona due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AdThere has not yet been a decision on whether fans will be able to attend spring training games.

Ron DeSantis, left, talks with members of the Florida National Guard, Sunday, March 22, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard on Friday night amid threats of violent protests at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. DeSantis’ order followed Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey’s request for help and the FBI’s arrest of a U.S. Army veteran who was allegedly making threats. The order did not specify the number of troops DeSantis will deploy to the Florida Capitol, which will close out of an abundance of caution. FBI Special Agents arrested Daniel Alan Baker, 33, over an alleged plot to rally like-minded individuals to violently confront protesters on Sunday at the Florida Capitol.

MIRAMAR, Fla. The Florida National Guard has been activated by Gov. Ron DeSantis as protests continue over the death of George Floyd. The move was made by DeSantis on Saturday and confirmed by his communications director Sunday on Twitter. Of the guardsmen deployed, 150 were sent to Miramar, 150 to Camp Blanding and 100 to Tampa. Camp Blanding, for those wondering, is located between Gainesville and Jacksonville in North Florida.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – At Hard Rock Stadium, one of Miami-Dade County’s coronavirus testing sites, the good news is that there weren’t long lines on Saturday, but some people who showed up were there to be retested. According to the Florida National Guard, over 10,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered throughout the state, with nearly all of them coming in South Florida. The Florida National Guard said they’ve collected more than 4,300 samples at Hard Rock Stadium, and just under 900 more at Marlins Park. Making an appointment, who’s eligibleHard Rock Stadium is a site for first responders, such as firefighters, law enforcement/corrections and medical staff with a valid agency ID, according to miamidade.gov/global/initiatvies/coronavirus/home.page. Appointments for the Hard Rock Stadium site can be made by calling the same number (305) 499-8767.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A man was so ill on Tuesday at the drive-through testing site in Miami Gardens that National Health Transport personnel put him on a stretcher and in the back of an ambulance. The man was driving a black four-door BMW at the temporary testing site at the Hard Rock Stadium. As hundreds waited in line to be screened for testing, he was rushed out in an ambulance and a tow truck removed his car from the property. Ron DeSantis ordered the Florida National Guard to make sure nurses collected samples from 750 people. The Florida National Guard is preparing to open a second drive-through testing site at Marlins Park in Miami’s Little Havana.

MIAMI – Medical professionals from both the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard responded to a Sunday call to join a special task force. The Florida National Guard’s task force focused on Broward County where the Florida Department of Health reported the largest COVID-19 cluster in the state. For federal and state officials, the COVID-19 fight includes setting up drive-through testing sites, and dealing with the logistics of distributing gear for medical professionals. The National Guard is already planning for distributions of items such as surgical masks and N95 respirators, the masks The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health approves to filter out at least 95% of airborne particles. The Florida National Guard is also preparing to adapt to emergency powers from FEMA, a Department of Homeland Security agency.