Florida sets new COVID hospitalization record as cases spike

The big picture: Florida is now the U.S. coronavirus epicenter, with the Delta variant driving a surge, Axios Tampa Bay's Ben Montgomery notes.

• Hospitalizations and deaths from the virus among the unvaccinated are increasing.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has taken a stand against local authority restrictions, announcing in May that he would pardon "any Floridian" who faces "outstanding infractions" for violating COVID-19 guidance like mask mandates and social distancing.

• On Friday, he issued an executive order that bars local school districts from requiring students to wear masks when they return to the classroom next month.

Of note: The previous COVID hospitalizations record was set on July 23, 2020, when Florida had 10,170 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

• The new cases record released by the CDC occurred on Friday. The state recorded 17,093 new cases Thursday, according to the CDC.
• Both previous peaks occurred before vaccinations were rolled out en masse.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the hospitalizations data.