On this Tuesday, Dec. 1, episode of Sundial:
Miami-Dade Mayor Tests Positive For COVID-19
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tested positive for COVID-19 Monday and is now self-isolating at home.
She made the announcement yesterday with a tweet.
Earlier today I tested positive for COVID-19, after learning that my husband, Dr. Robert Cava, was exposed by one of his patients last Wednesday; he also tested positive today. Rob and I are quarantining at home. We both remain in good spirits and have only mild symptoms.
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) November 30, 2020
Her announcement came just days after her predecessor, now Congressman Carlos Gimenez, announced he had tested positive for the virus. And just one day before Florida surpassed one million coronavirus cases.
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“She was a little congested. And she said that she was feeling okay, that she had a full day of work. She had virtual meetings with staff, with the NAACP over some complaints about one of her hires, she attended an Hatian-American group meeting. So a fairly typical day, but all online,” said Miami Herald reporter Doug Hanks on WLRN Sundial. He spoke with her over the phone Monday night.
The Busiest Hurricane Season Ends
The busiest hurricane season in history came to an end Monday with 30 named storms that formed in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic since May, breaking the 2005 record of 28.
“We knew going into the season that the Atlantic was really warm. The waters in the Gulf of Mexico were really warm. And so all that warm water really feeds storms. It was forecast to be an above-average storm season. This was the fifth consecutive year for an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic,” said WLRN’s environment reporter Jenny Staletovich on Sundial.
South Florida was spared from the brunt of the storms, but the region still received extensive rain, which had devastating impacts on agriculture — an industry that was already struggling because of the pandemic.
Sam Accursio is a second-generation Homestead farmer who experienced this firsthand.
“This is the first time in forty years of farming where he has never had to water his crops,” said Staletovich, who spoke with him last month. “The groundwater table was so high that he was planting, fertilizing everything in water and that lowered production. He said he was not able to meet his Thanksgiving and Christmas supply goal — the two biggest times of the year.”
‘Grandkids-On-Demand’
A local “grandkids on-demand” startup called Papa is helping older adults get through the pandemic by pairing them with young adults, who are known as Papa Pals.
“I started Papa to support my grandfather, who we call papà,” said Andrew Parker, the founder of CEO of Papa. “I thought it would be more valuable to him and more impactful to connect him to a young, energetic college student. And at the time thought a nursing student would be valuable just in case something went astray. And we paired them with someone I found in the community and he absolutely loved it. And so ever since that moment, we've been building Papa.”
Sundial also heard from 81-year-old Rosaleen Eline, and her 20-year-old Papa Pal Shyeayne Harleman, about how they have been bonding during the pandemic.
