Navigation Courts pivot to deal with the COVID resurgence
From the death of a Daytona Beach circuit judge and the suspension of jury trials in Sarasota, to a public demand for more remote proceedings in Jacksonville, the latest COVID-19 surge is taking a toll on Florida’s courts.
Florida’s daily death toll reached 227 on August 24, and according to a New York Times database, average daily cases reached 23,314 over the weekend, 30% higher than a peak in January.
The fatalities include Seventh Circuit Judge Steven C. Henderson, who died after being hospitalized with COVID-19, according to an August 26 report by the Daytona Beach News Journal. The 49-year-old jurist and former prosecutor left behind a wife and six children.
