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Article Courtesy of The Orlando
Sentinel
By David Harris and Mark Skoneki
Published
August 4, 2020
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t wait until the final
hours to extend the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures this time
around.
The governor on Wednesday night extended his
executive order until Sept. 1 in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic that
has wreaked havoc on the economy, two days before it would have expired.
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Last month, the
governor waited until four hours before it was set to
expire before extending it.
Without the moratorium, thousands of Floridians could
have become homeless in days because landlords have been
filing paperwork in court to evict non-paying tenants
once the ban ends.
Advocates for low-wage tourism workers and others have
been calling for the governor to extend the moratorium
to prevent an avalanche of homelessness in Florida.
State Rep. Ana Eskamani, D-Orlando, in at tweet
called the extension a “necessary step to protect
thousands of Floridians from homelessness but we need a
plan to ensure housing security for all during & after
COVID19 pandemic. Living life month by month is not
sustainable & we’ve outlined proposals to the (governor)
already that he’s thus far ignored.” |
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Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a discussion at
AdventHealth Orlando alongside executive medical director
Eduardo Oliveira on July 28, 2020
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As was the case last month, the governor issued the executive order
without comment. On June 30, DeSantis ignored a question about the issue
at a news conference in the daytime only to send out the order via email
hours that night.
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The rent and foreclosure crisis is especially acute in Florida.
More than a third of adults in the state reported that they missed
June’s rent or mortgage payment, or said they won’t be able to pay
July’s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.
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