[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

By Jeff Levine, Pompano Beach Editor-at-Large

With Coronavirus cases on the rise throughout Florida and Broward County and ICU beds fast filling up, the County has increased it’s efforts to reduce emergency order violations at local businesses  . Meanwhile, we have exclusively learned the Pompano Beach Fireworks display on July 4th will not be launched from the Fisher Family Pier or from a barge off of the beach. Facebook speculators were assuming it would be at the beach, fueled in part by an erroneous report on Local 10 news.

Yesterday, the City officially announced the annual Pompano Beach fireworks display would be launched from an “undisclosed location”. City Commissioner Andrea McGee has confirmed the location for the secret fireworks would “not be at the beach” but would be at a centrally located spot where most “city residents would have a good view” without leaving their home.  The fireworks, scheduled for 9pm on July 4th, 2020,  will also be broadcast on Comcast channel 78 and on the City’s website.

Meanwhile, Broward County is beginning to see a shortage of Adult ICU beds at county hospitals.  As of this writing, the primary hospitals serving the northeast Broward area (Broward Health North, Holy Cross Hospital and Broward Health Imperial Point) are reporting almost 91 percent of their adult ICU beds are filled. These are the three Broward hospitals most residents of Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach and Lighthouse Point are most likely to go to. Further updates from the state are available at this website.  Below is the listing open and total ICU beds for all Broward County hospitals.

>>> COMMENTARY: WE SEEM UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE BIGGEST HEALTH CRISIS OF OUR GENERATION

Hospital TOTAL OPEN  
BROWARD HEALTH CORAL SPRINGS 9 5 0.357143
BROWARD HEALTH IMPERIAL POINT 5 2 0.285714
BROWARD HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER 63 7 0.1
BROWARD HEALTH NORTH 25 4 0.137931
CLEVELAND CLINIC HOSPITAL 37 11 0.229167
FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER – A CAMPUS OF NORTH SHORE 29 7 0.194444
HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL 41 1 0.02381
KINDRED HOSPITAL-SOUTH FLORIDA-FT LAUDERDALE 4 4 0.5
KINDRED HOSPITAL-SOUTH FLORIDA-HOLLYWOOD 5 3 0.375
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL MIRAMAR 8 10 0.555556
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PEMBROKE 12 0 0
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WEST 28 2 0.066667
MEMORIAL REGIONAL HOSPITAL 55 16 0.225352
MEMORIAL REGIONAL HOSPITAL SOUTH 0 0  
NORTHWEST MEDICAL CENTER 14 8 0.533333
PLANTATION GENERAL HOSPITAL 18 2 0.1
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER 8 7 0.466667
WESTSIDE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 34 1 0.028571
  395 90  

As cases of Covid-19 in Broward County and throughout Florida continue to rise, Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said via press release, the county will be increasing enforcement of Coronavirus related emergency orders. Pompano Beach Assistant City Manager said his city will also be “upping monitoring” of violations at the pier, the beach and city parks, following reports that social distancing rules were not being followed at the pier and the beach.

Yesterday. Broward County issued Emergency Order 20-18 , outlining penalties for establishments fail to comply with Emergency Orders mandating sanitization, social distancing, facial coverings and other requirements intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. All prior Emergency Orders remain in effect.
 
The new Order is effective Friday, June 26, 2020 and states:
  • Establishments cited for operating in violation of any County Emergency Order shall immediately close for a minimum 24-hour period.
  • They may reopen after 24 hours, provided they 1) conduct a thorough review of applicable Emergency Orders and take all necessary measures to bring the establishment into compliance and 2) submit and receive notice of acceptance of attestation, under penalty of perjury by the owner, general manager, or chief executive officer of the establishment, emailed to the County at Reopening@Broward.org.
  • Once the attestation is received and accepted, the establishment will be inspected by local code enforcement or law enforcement authorities, within five calendar days after reopening, to confirm that the violation has been corrected.
  • Repeat violations will be presumed to be knowing violations and will be subject to stricter penalties, including a fine of up to $15,000.
Mayor Holness said in the press release, “We’re relying on the entire public. If you see something that is going to effect your health, the communities health and the economy of our community you need to call 311, because if we shut down, everyone of us is going to hurt. It’s incumbent for all of us to participate and comply, because all of us are in this together.”
 
Residents are being asked to help with the compliance process by reporting violations to MyBroward.Broward.org. Select “Request for Service,” enter the location of the violation, and select “COVID-19 Business Complaints” as the Type of Issue. You can also call 954-357-9500 to anonymously report violations.
 
>>> COMMENTARY: WE SEEM UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE BIGGEST HEALTH CRISIS OF OUR GENERATION
 
Broward County Schools are expected to reopen on August 19th as originally planned. According to the Sun-Sentinel, the vision calls for students to return to campus two to three days a week this fall, with improved at-home education offered the other days. The school board is still developing the plan and is yet to finalize exactly how it would work.
 
For more Pompano Beach news and things to do including the upcoming Pompano Beach Fireworks, read Pompano! magazine and search our website.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”10376″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Previous

LIGHTHOUSE POINT POLICE OFFICERS TO GET BODY CAMS

Next

American Pie: Blueberry and Strawberry Galette

About Author

LOCAL NEWS

This post was prepared by staff at Point! Publishing. For inquiries call 954-603-4553.

Subscribe to Coastal news

Get our free email newsletter directly in your inbox! Our semi-monthly newsletter showcases the most important local news and events in your backyard and comes with complimentary digital editions of our magazines!