Florida has reported more than 6,700 confirmed coronavirus cases in the last week, with 85 deaths and 850 hospitalizations. The state is quickly becoming the next national hot spot for the COVID-19 virus, yet health experts are concerned its government is woefully unprepared.

The acceleration of cases in southern Florida, specifically in Miami, resembles the quick spread of the coronavirus in New York, according to projections by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The “pace of the case growth” also suggests Florida was “heavily seeded” at some point in February, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

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