Here’s the 5 Things you need to know in and around Osceola County for June 9:
1. St. Cloud city workers gathered Monday to take over eight minutes in silence to honor George Floyd.
The gathering Monday was the idea of Mayor Nathan Blackwell and City Manager Bill Sturgeon. In a letter Sturgeon wrote to staff, he said, “During the last three months we have been tried both personally and professionally. We have faced an unprecedented pandemic and are now facing the much needed amplification of the scourge of racial injustice against our fellow citizens. As I reflected on the implications of these difficult times, I am reminded of a document that we as Americans hold dear to our hearts, The Constitution of The United States of America and The Preamble of one of the most revered documents in World history, which begins with the words “WE THE PEOPLE,” which in my interpretation means ALL OF US and that there is no room for injustice in our society in any form or manner.”
In not wanting his words to be just words but action, Sturgeon said he’d be directing the city’s Human Resources and Risk Management teams to develop strategies to make sure St. Cloud has a more inclusive work environment.
2. To start its annual Gator Week festivities, Wild Florida proudly showed off 25 albino alligator eggs.
Albino alligators are very rare; biologists think only about 100 exist in the world. Wild Florida is home to Snowflake and Blizzard, and Wild Florida hopes some hatch in August, about 60 days from now.
They’ve relocated the eggs to a secure location to help protect them from natural predators and monitor their progress.
And that’s just Monday of Gator Week! The rest of the week could be just as exciting. Today, Wild Florida will measure Crusher, the supersized gator, to get his true length, and Wednesday guests will learn was an alligator’s favorite snack is during feeding shows. First responders, health care workers, grocery store workers and truckers get FREE admission as a way to say thanks to those who’ve made sacrifices to keep the community going during the pandemic, and Florida residents get a $5
Gator Week special. Check out what else Gator Week has to offer at Wild FL dot com.
3. Osceola County is reporting few new COVID-19 cases while other parts of the state have been on the rise for days.
Following five straight days of reporting over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases statewide, the streak ended when the Florida Department of Health released new daily statistics Monday, reporting 966 new positive cases.
But the report for Osceola County was about the same as is has been all week, adding just four more cases, bringing the count to 749 since March 13, and no new fatalities (21) or hospitalizations (164).
Osceola continues to test positive among lab tests return than the state average, returning 2.7 percent of positive tests in eight of the last nine days out of an average of about 300 tests daily, and has now returned 4.6 percent positives since testing started. The state average is 5.3 percent.
4. Emergency management officials say you should have seven days of supplies in your hurricane kits this year.
For years us Floridians were told: Have three days worth of food, water and supplies per person in your household as part of your hurricane kit that you’ll need should a major storm hit your area. This year, when the coronavirus pandemic will be tracked as closely as any storm this year, state and local emergency management officials are urging every Floridian to have seven days of these critical supplies like food, water and medicine, and remember to also have COVID-19 supplies like hand sanitizer, a mask and disinfectant wipes in your disaster kit. COVID-19 concerns this summer could affect the staging of emergency supplies this year in the wake of a storm and could affect the supply chain.
5. Osceola County will hold a Tire and Household Chemical free disposal day this weekend for residents.
In an effort to reduce the amount of illegally dumped waste tires and provide a clean and safer environment to live in, Osceola County is providing a Tire and Household Chemical Free Disposal Day on Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon at the Bass Road Recycling Center at 750 South Bass Road.
This event is for Osceola County residents only, and a photo ID is required. Citizens can dispose of household chemical waste and up to 8 tires. Absolutely no vendors or commercial tires are accepted, and no hazardous waste from businesses will be accepted.
As for the weather … we finally dried out on Monday, but there’s a 60 percent chance of late afternoon scattered thunderstorms today. We’ll start in the mid to upper 70s and reach 91 before that rain rolls in. It’s a familiar summertime pattern.
