It’s Tuesday, May 12th - and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - Broward County leaders are discussing a possible plan to reopen the area by May 18th, coinciding with neighboring Miami-Dade County's planned reopening.
Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said city mayors were surveyed to try and get a consensus on who can open, how and when. Holness said the specific rules for the different industries are still being ironed out and will be released soon. Retail businesses will be allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. Officials also green-lighted a drive-in movie theater. Holness added, social distancing mask requirements will still be in place.
No. 2 - Hair and nail salons, along with barber shops, began reopening in much of Florida on Monday as the state took another baby step out of the economic abyss caused by the new coronavirus shutdown while it works toward clearing a backlog of unemployment claims that haven't been paid.
Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed such businesses to reopen with tight regulations except in hard-hit Miami-Dade and Broward, the state's two most-populous. That comes almost six weeks after they were ordered closed statewide — some counties closed them earlier — and one week after sit-down dining was allowed in most of the state's restaurants, also with heavy restrictions such as limiting capacity to 25% of normal.
No. 3 - While many businesses across Florida have begun reopening their doors to the public, millions of out-of-work Floridians continue to struggle navigating the state's confusing unemployment system; just this weekend, the Department of Economic Opportunity announced an extra requirement for claimants.
The department has announced that in order to continue receiving payments, people who have filed for unemployment must report the number of weeks they need benefits by logging onto the portal twice a month to restate their need. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had initially waved this step when the state's number of unemployment claims began to skyrocket following the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing business shutdowns.
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No. 4 - While much of South Florida is wearing masks to protect themselves during the ongoing pandemic, some are using the safety measures for the wrong reasons.
NBC 6 reporter Willard Shepard shows us how law enforcement officials are getting the word out to stay safe while masks are being worn during the ongoing pandemic. Click here for his report you will see Only on 6.
No. 5 - When Gregory Tony applied to be a cop in 2005, he was asked in his application if he had ever been detained, arrested or charged, even as a juvenile. No, no and no, he answered on the application.
But, a 1993 Philadelphia police homicide report naming him as the suspect in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man he was arguing with suggests he should have answered yes, yes and yes. The report, which Tony's campaign released after it was obtained and reported on by the Miami Herald, said Tony was "arrested" after he turned himself into police the morning after the killing. Tony denied he had ever been arrested as recently as last week, during an interview with NBC 6. Click here to see the story from NBC 6 reporter Tony Pipitone.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will be dry on Tuesday, but gusty winds stick around as wet weather returns in a big way for the rest of the week. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
