Senator Rick Scott pushes for better communication during COVID-19 press conference in Tampa

Speaking at a press conference in Tampa on Sunday, Senator Rick Scott said his goal was to give people as much information as possible. As of Sunday afternoon, two Florida residents died from COVID-19 and 12 Florida residents had been diagnosed with the disease. 

"When we have cases, we ought to be able to put out as much information about those cases as we can," Scott said.

However, that hasn’t always been the case. Scott sent out a Tweet Saturday voicing his concern about not finding out there was a case in Lee County until after the patient died.  

On Sunday, Scott sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Wolf, CDC Director Redfield, FAA Administrator Dickson and the Administrators of Santa Rosa County and Lee County health departments asking for additional information regarding the cases of coronavirus-related deaths in Santa Rosa and Lee counties.

Scott's meeting at Port Tampa Bay came just one day after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to activate to Level II to coordinate the state’s response to COVID-19, which would provide critical support to the Florida Department of Health and county health departments.  

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House and Senate leaders also announced Saturday they have agreed to Governor Ron DeSantis’s request for $25 million to help the state combat the spread of COVID-19, which killed two Floridians and could adversely impact the state’s economy. 

During an interview with FOX News, Scott spoke about dealing with the Zika virus and hurricanes when he was the governor of Florida. He said, "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but do whatever you can to keep the public informed, so they can make an informed decision."

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister joined Scott during the press conference and reminded the community to stay calm.

If you feel sick

The Florida Department of Health has opened a COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida's COVID-19 website
CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: What you need to know

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