Tom Hudson

Jack McCabe is scared. 

McCabe was one of the earliest voices warning of the housing collapse 13 years ago. He runs a real estate economic consulting firm based in Deerfield Beach that bears his name. As early as 2005, McCabe was sounding alarms of a slowing housing market in South Florida. 

Of course, It didn’t just slow — it collapsed.

Many businesses have closed to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Local governments and the state are allowing some essential services to remain open. That includes grocery stores, pharmacies and other places needed to keep cities and towns running.

Fifty percent unemployment? 

That's the guess from Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi. 

South Florida is a coronavirus hotspot in the state. The majority of confirmed cases in Florida are in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

The sounds bounced off walls in empty restaurant dining rooms and cafes.

Some beaches have closed. Cruise ships are docked. Airlines have grounded some planes. Disney and Universal in Orlando are closed. Local attractions are shut down. Theaters are dark. Hotel reservations are cancelled. Restaurants and bars are closing early.

This business hasn’t slowed. In many cases it has stopped.

Coronavirus cases continue growing across South Florida.  More were found in Broward County. The first few cases were also recently confirmed in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Florida’s large population of senior citizens and people without health insurance make the state vulnerable to the threat posed by an outbreak of COVID-19. The number of cases in the state remain relatively small, but it has been growing as testing for the virus has grown.

Florida health officials are continuing to monitor the spread of coronavirus. According to the Florida Department of Health, 264 people are currently under public health monitoring, which means they are at risk of having been exposed to COVID-19. 

There have been several cases in the state of Florida that have tested positive for the virus so far.

Jay Foreman is no stranger to China and the global supply chain. He runs Basic Fun, based in Boca Raton. It imports toys like My Little Pony Classic and Pound Puppies from China. A dozen Basic Fun employees work in China and 65 work in Hong Kong.

For many folks in South Florida and across the country, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' comments about Cuba touched a raw nerve. 
During a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, Sanders praised the education and health care programs of Fidel Castro, while saying he is "very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba." 

Traffic is a perennial problem across South Florida. It costs time, and money—if you use toll roads or express lanes. 

This week, the state announced some changes to the Palmetto Expressway, State Road 826, in Miami-Dade County. The Florida Department of Transportation will reduce the number of express lanes on the 826. Tolls will also be suspended as the project gets under way.

The quiet season is about half over. The time between Nov. 30 and June 1 is usually quiet in the tropics. The six months between June and November is hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. And the last few seasons have been reminders about the threats posed to Florida.

Pipes in Fort Lauderdale keep breaking--it's been an almost daily reality for many people living and working in the city.

More than 200 million gallons of sewage have spilled from busted pipes in Fort Lauderdale since December.