ORLANDO, Florida – Worried parents in Florida’s top tourist region are showing the greatest interest in Florida Virtual School as thousands of tourists descend upon reopened theme parks and beaches in east Central Florida.

Just a little over a month ago, Brevard County, with a population of over 600,000 that encompasses Cocoa Beach, Port Canaveral, and Kennedy Space Center, had seen such a low coronavirus case count that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis repeatedly pointed to the Space Coast during press conferences as an example of a high population county with a low case count as compared to other counties in Florida.

But Brevard’s COVID-19 cases have nearly quadrupled since June 14 following the reopening of bars, restaurants, and beaches and the consequential daytrippers from the Orlando area, including UCF students from a major coronavirus outbreak region.

Although the Florida Department of Business and Professional has since shut down bars again, the number of COVID-19 cases in Brevard County continue to climb at such an alarming rate that many parents are fearful of sending their children to brick-and-mortar schools.

Florida’s Space Coast has a high-tech workforce where many parents can telecommute (with the exception of national security-sensitive projects) and/or have a high enough income so that one spouse can stay at home with their children for distance learning.

So it is no surprise that search interest in Florida Virtual School is highest in the east Central Florida region just before school starts, according to Google Trends.

For Brevard County parents interested in Florida Virtual School, the deadline to enroll is July 31st.