🌱 Florida Reports Over 20,000 COVID Cases + Nochebuena Food Drive

Up and at 'em, Miami! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started. Here's everything worth knowing today in town.

First, today's weather:

Sunny and beautiful. High: 74 Low: 64.

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Here are the top five stories today in Miami:

1. Florida reported 20,194 new infections to the CDC on Tuesday, the most cases since September 1st. The state was reporting fewer than 2,000 new cases per day from late October through early December. The new Omicron COVID-19 variant is to blame for the surge. (WPLG Local 10)

2. More than 2.3 million pounds of cooked ham and pepperoni products sold in Florida and other states have been recalled over possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. (Patch Miami)

3. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has reached out to Florida's health department requesting more monoclonal antibody treatment doses as COVID-19 cases rise. Mayor Cava also announced additional testing sites and expanded hours to meet rising demand. A mask mandate has also returned for county buildings. (CBS Miami)

4. Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla and his team hosted a pork shoulder distribution drive-thru at Grapeland Park on Tuesday. Vehicles received pork, rice, beans, guava and mojo to cook for Nochebuena Friday. (WSVN)

5. A special team of officers from Miami-Dade Police's Rapid Deployment Force unit is patrolling Miami International Airport following a brawl involving travelers and police that was caught on camera this week. (NBC Miami)

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Today in Miami:

• Superheroes at The Bass. (8:00 AM)
• Santa Photo Experience at Miami International Mall. (11:00 AM)
• PAMM After Dark. (6:00 PM)
• Kuba Cabana at CityPlace Doral To Present “Cocktails & Cabaret,” a Series of Exhilarating. (8:00 PM)
• Little Havana Under the Stars At Ball & Chain. (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Miami-based software company EveryMundo has been bought for $80 million in cash and $10 million based on future stock by PROS Holdings, a software service provider. (Miami Today)
• In observance of the Christmas Day holiday, the City of Miami Department of Solid Waste will be closed on Friday, December 24th. (Miami Patch)
• Publix and Walgreens pharmacies are experiencing a shortage of take-home COVID-19 tests in Miami and testing lines are running long. (Miami New Times)
• The Miami HEAT have signed forward Zylan Cheatham to a 10-day contract using the COVID-Related Hardship Allowance. (Twitter)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.