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What you need to know for Friday, March 5, 2021

Good morning Tampa Bay! We made it to Friday.

TAMPA, Fla. — Good morning Tampa Bay! We made it to Friday.

Let's get started with the storied you need to know about to wrap up this work week. 

Finding major failures 📋

Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on Thursday released Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel's early findings of the Department of Economic Opportunity’s CONNECT reemployment assistance system, which has caused headaches as Floridians have tried to get help during the pandemic. 

The newly-released report says the system, which was set up under former Gov. Rick Scott and became operational in 2013, was never fully tested.

The state contract required the CONNECT system to be able to support at least 200,000 concurrent external customers when it was initially deployed, according to the report. But, the inspector general found it was only tested with 4,200 concurrent users.

The inspector general's new report recommends Florida agencies strengthen contract language in future deals in a way that would include financial penalties for companies that don't comply with the provisions of their agreements with the state. It also recommends moving the future CONNECT system to the Cloud to help with scaling it.

RELATED: Inspector General: Florida's CONNECT system wasn't adequately tested

Defining 'extremely vulnerable'

In an executive order signed quietly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded who was eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. 

That includes a vague group he called "those with extreme vulnerability to COVID-19." 

But what exactly does that mean? 

Gov. DeSantis said that it's up to physicians to make that call. He said he trusts doctors and other medical experts to decide who fits that criteria. 

Am I eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida?

People who think they might fit the criteria should call their doctor to find out and then have them fill out the form provided by the state. You'll need that form as proof you qualify when you show up to get your shot.

RELATED: Florida governor allows 'extremely vulnerable' to get vaccinated: Are you included?

Out of this world ☄️

It's called the 'God of Chaos.' And with it being taller than the Empire State building and more than 1,000-feet-wide, we completely understand where the astroid's name comes from. 

The asteroid, actually named Apophis, (after the ancient Egyptian God of Chaos), will whiz by Earth on Friday.  

The space rock will safely pass Earth at around 8:15 p.m. ET, traveling at a distance of about 10 million miles away, according to NASA

RELATED: 'God of Chaos' asteroid taller than the Empire State Building to zoom by Earth on Friday

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