All Access

All-Access Weekly Digest

Standard

Tampa Bay

Picture of the Tampa Bay skyline with TPA written across it.

blue

Axios Tampa Bay Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

A guide to fun things to do in Tampa Bay this weekend.

Axios Tampa Bay Weekender

Weekender

Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Selene San Felice.

Axios Tampa Bay

Axios Tampa Bay Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Tampa Members

Membership

Florida reported Sunday that 10,207 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized — the most in the state since the pandemic began, per AP.

Why it matters: The report comes a day after the CDC released data showing Florida confirmed a state record 21,683 new coronavirus cases in one day.

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.  

Florida sets new COVID hospitalization record as cases spike

Florida recorded its highest number of COVID cases in 1 day since the pandemic began yesterday.

Nurses bring a portable x-ray machine to a treatment tent outside the emergency department at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Fla., July 29

Nurses bring a portable x-ray machine to a treatment tent outside the emergency department at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida, set up to serve as an overflow area as the number of COVID-19 infections surges throughout Brevard County. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Florida

Top Stories

A patient is brought near a treatment tent outside the emergency department at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

Florida reported Sunday that 10,207 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized — the most in the state since the pandemic began, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-7ca97f0d685ab25559cf9b51cfc077eb" data-vars-content-id="0a9d2dad-420f-4374-8b55-b970fb5f0873" data-vars-headline="Florida sets new COVID hospitalization record as cases spike" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-7ca97f0d685ab25559cf9b51cfc077eb" target="_blank">per AP</a>.Why it matters: The report comes a day after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the CDC released" data-vars-click-url="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases" data-vars-content-id="0a9d2dad-420f-4374-8b55-b970fb5f0873" data-vars-headline="Florida sets new COVID hospitalization record as cases spike" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases" target="_blank">the CDC released</a> data showing Florida confirmed a state record 21,683 new coronavirus cases in one day.

COVID

Human remains found in Teton County, Wyoming, are "consistent with the description of" missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, FBI Denver official Charles Jones said at a news conference Sunday.

Details: The cause of death had yet to be determined, but Jones said: "Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery." Authorities said they're continuing the search for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Of note: Her stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said he and her mother, Nichole Schmidt, last spoke with the 22-year-old on "either Aug. 23 or Aug. 24," when they were told Petito and Laundrie were departing Utah  for Grand Teton National Park, Wy. — where the remains were found, per the New York Times.

The big picture: Petito was documenting her road trip through Western national parks using the #vanlife hashtag on social media when she vanished. Her family filed a missing persons report on Sept. 11 with police in Suffolk County, New York,

Laundrie, 23, returned to Florida driving her 2012 Ford Transit van without her and is a "person of interest" in her disappearance, per authorities.

North Port Police tweeted Sunday that a team of more than 50 officers was conducting a search of the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, after Laundrie's parents said this was his last known location.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Schmidt.

FBI says human remains found in Wyoming likely Gabby Petito

Authorities said they're still searching for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

An image released by the FBI of influencer Gabby Petito.

Human remains found in Teton County, Wyoming, are &quot;consistent with the description of&quot; missing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="22-year-old Gabby Petito" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/missing-sarasota-influencer-van-police-road-trip-5ba56a2f-7ab7-42d2-97df-f8245471e09c.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="ec653625-22f7-45a1-9aeb-225bfbc1b3cb" data-vars-headline="FBI says human remains found in Wyoming likely Gabby Petito" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/missing-sarasota-influencer-van-police-road-trip-5ba56a2f-7ab7-42d2-97df-f8245471e09c.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_self">22-year-old Gabby Petito</a>, FBI Denver official Charles Jones said at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a news conference" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1301567880246661&amp;ref=search" data-vars-content-id="ec653625-22f7-45a1-9aeb-225bfbc1b3cb" data-vars-headline="FBI says human remains found in Wyoming likely Gabby Petito" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1301567880246661&amp;ref=search" target="_blank">a news conference</a> Sunday.Details: The cause of death had yet to be determined, but Jones said: &quot;Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery.&quot; Authorities said they&#x27;re continuing the search for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.

Axios

Featured stories

FBI says human remains found in Wyoming likely Gabby Petito

Florida sets new COVID hospitalization record as cases spike