Beware of Pool Filter Explosions

Many people are spending more time at home as the COVID-19 pandemic surges on. In Florida, that means chances are high that families are making good use of the backyard pool. More use means that the pool filter will need more frequent cleaning and maintenance — but be careful if you’re planning to do it…

Local College COVID-19 Reopening Plans

Here on our Brooks Law Group blog, we’ve been trying to keep our readers up to date on local COVID-19 news. Most of our posts on education have been about local elementary, middle, and high schools’ reopening plans. But what about our local colleges and universities? We’ve compiled this list of information on local college…

Local School Districts Push Back Reopening Dates

Around this time of the summer, families are usually counting down the days until the first day back to school. This year, that’s going to look a lot different. COVID-19 school closures in Polk and Hillsborough counties began in March and there still seems to be no consensus on how or when to reopen them….

Vehicle Theft Prevention Month: 5 Ways to Keep Your Car Safe

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that we have all learned to be a little more careful than usual. We are washing our hands, maintaining our distance from each other, and trying to keep our families healthy. But there may be a threat we haven’t considered: vehicle theft and burglary. There has…

Florida Court Update: New Orders Launch Pilot Program

Florida’s Chief Justice Charles Canady issued an Order on May 21st that will allow civil jury trials to be held remotely. To stop the spread of coronavirus, Florida courts have not held a jury trial since March 16th of this year. As imagined, there is a backlog of cases that are waiting to be heard….

Phase Two of Florida’s Reopening

So far, there have not been significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases. However, we have note seen a notable decrease in case numbers either. Florida is fast approaching Phase Two of our state’s plans to reopen the economy as the governor opens more and more businesses and increases crowd capacity within each. While…

System or Operator Error? Florida’s Unemployment Process

As the coronavirus continues to impact the economy, the unemployment rate has become a major threat. After reaching a 50-year record at 3.5% the numbers rose by 11 percent. There have been more than 20.5 million jobs lost since March and the unemployment rate is the comparable to numbers seen during the Great Depression at…

Florida PIP’s 14-Day Rule and COVID-19

Do I Need to Go to the Doctor’s Office? If you were injured in a car accident, seek medical attention within the first 14 days– even during a pandemic!  Recent times have been stressful enough – being in a car accident can add to the stress and leave you confused about which steps to take…

Quarantine Orders: What Do They Mean for Me?

The Coronavirus Timeline Florida’s Gov. DeSantis declares a State of Emergency March 9th. The federal government recommends 15 days of social distancing on March 15th Disney and Universal close on Marth 17th Bars are closed, and restaurant to only offer take out and drive thru on March 20th All Florida public and private K-12 school…

COVID-19 Emergency Orders Extended for Court System

On Monday, April 6th, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady extended the COVID-19 Emergency Orders through May 29th. Local courts will continue the use of social distancing and remote technology. Remote technology utilized includes both video and phone hearings. Many services will remain limited. How does this affect you? What is suspended? Jury proceedings…