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Dear Clients and Friends,

Below please find the twentieth edition of Stearns Weaver Miller's COVID-19 Legal Compass, highlighting government updates, alerts on critical topics, and resources to help you navigate and adapt to this rapidly changing environment.  

All actions described below have been ordered or updated between September 3-13, 2020. We have done our best to include significant, timely information, although new orders and actions are being introduced continuously. View a comprehensive listing of the government actions pertaining to COVID-19 that we have collected to date.

As the release of mandates by local governments tend to be slowing down, our team will no longer be updating the local government portion of the Legal Compass.  

Please email our team with any questions regarding the below information or any local government actions.


RECENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
  • Department of Labor ("DOL") Revises Regulations: The U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division announced revisions to regulations that implemented the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), in light of a recent federal district court decision that found portions of the regulations invalid. The revisions, effective September 16, 2020, clarify workers' rights and employers' responsibilities, including an additional explanation for the requirement that employees may take FFCRA leave only if work would otherwise be available to them and for the requirement that an employee have employer approval to take FFCRA leave intermittently. The definition of "healthcare provider" was also revised to include only employees who meet the definition under FMLA regulations or who are employed to provide diagnostic, preventative, treatment, or other services that are integrated with and necessary to patient care and would adversely impact patient care if not provided. The revisions also clarify that employees must provide required documentation supporting their need for FFCRA leave to their employers as soon as practicable and corrects an inconsistency regarding when employees may be required to provide notice of a need to take expanded family and medical leave to their employers.
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") Provides Guidance: OSHA released guidance for wearing masks while working in hot and humid conditions, both indoors and outdoors. For companies operating in the Southeastern United States, this is valuable information.
  • DOL Publishes Bulletin Regarding Telework: As many employees continue to telework, the DOL has published Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-5. With this guidance, employers can better understand their obligation to exercise reasonable diligence in tracking teleworking employees' hours of work.
  • CDC Continues to Provide Guidance: As many companies resume travel for employees, the CDC has published guidance for determining if it is safe to travel or if travel should be postponed.
View a comprehensive listing of Federal Government Actions that we have collected to date.

RECENT STATE OF FLORIDA GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
  • Miami-Dade and Broward Counties: Miami-Dade and Broward Counties are approved by to go to the Phase 2 reopening plan. Click for more.
View a comprehensive listing of State of Florida Government Actions that we have collected to date.

View an easy-to-read matrix of the Florida government agency orders that we have collected to date.  Highlighted actions are new (September 3-13) since last issue.

FLORIDA COVID-19 MAPS


Our in-house Geographic Information System (GIS) team has created state-of-the-art, proprietary work products using data from the Florida Department of Health website.  These high-definition maps are extremely detailed, searchable, and are created to help easily visualize Florida's progress in regards to the pandemic.
  • Florida COVID-19 Cases as of September 9, by Zip Code. Click for map.
  • Change in Number of Cases from September 2-9, by Zip Code. Click for map.
  • Change in Number of Hospitalizations from September 2-9, by County. Click for map.
RECENT STEARNS WEAVER MILLER COVID-19 UPDATES
About Stearns Weaver Miller
  
Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson is a full service law firm with offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Coral Gables, Florida. We offer multidisciplinary solutions with a focus on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Business Restructuring, Corporate & Securities, Government & Administrative, Labor & Employment, Real Estate, Real Estate Finance, Commercial Finance and Loan Restructuring & Workouts, Land Development, Zoning & Environmental, Marital & Family Law and Tax. For more information, please visit stearnsweaver.com.

  

The information provided in this update email does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; it is for general informational purposes only. Information in this email may quickly become outdated. Readers of this email should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular matter. No one should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information in this email without first seeking legal advice from counsel. Only your attorney can provide assurance that the information contained in this email, as well as the reader's interpretation of that information, is appropriate to any particular situation.