E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o h n F . K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
LessonsfromthePandemic : afteraturbulent 2020 , chiefJudgeficarrottaSays13thcircuit remainsresolutetocarryoutJustice
“ ithinkwewillcomeoutofthepandemicstrongerandbetter . it ’ sbroughtthelegalcommunitytogethertofindwaystoget casesresolvedandcarryouttheadministrationofjustice .”
— 13thcircuitchiefJudgeronaldficarrotta
Floridians are a resilient lot .
In Florida ’ s long history , dating back to 1513 when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon led an expedition and christened the new land he sighted La Florida , Floridians have experienced terrible suffering and overcome great adversity .
Now , the coronavirus pandemic has presented Floridians yet another terrible crisis in which to navigate . As I write this , more than 20,000 Floridians have tragically died of COVID-19 .
Gary R . Mormino , a Florida historian and scholar in residence at Florida Humanities , recently published a column in the Tampa Bay Times about lessons Floridians have learned from other times of crisis in the state ’ s history .
“ As a colony , territory and state , the peninsula suffered deadly outbreaks of smallpox , yellow fever , malaria , influenza and polio ,” Mormino wrote . “ Floridians have weathered 130 mph
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