Florida has gotten it right in its COVID-19 response compared to “lockdown” states such as New York, Michigan, and California. So said Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis in a speech this past Friday that kicked off the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering in Orlando.
Florida, an overall high-population state with densely populated cities like Jacksonville and Miami, has exercised comparatively light restrictions on its citizens and businesses during much of the course of the coronavirus pandemic. They did not enforce strict economic lockdowns and gathering limits, for example.
A year after many states took drastic measures that have yet to be rescinded, Florida has enjoyed an increase of new residents, and its economy has weathered the pandemic better than others.
“Florida got it right, and the lockdown states got it wrong,” DeSantis touted as a possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate during his speech. The governor’s stance has aligned with that of former-President Trump, now a full-time resident of Palm Beach.
After taking the advice of medical experts during the initial months of the COVID outbreak, Trump bucked the recommendations of Dr. Anthony Fauci and others, saying the costs of keeping states and the nation under lockdown was “worse than the cure.”
The position of DeSantis has been bolstered by the fact that Floridians have not statistically suffered more from COVID-19 cases or fatalities than states that have enforced heavy-handed dictates, which many argue are unconstitutional.
“We cannot, we will not, go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” DeSantis told the CPAC audience. “The question is: When the klieg lights get hot, when the Left comes after you, do you stand strong or will you fold?”
TREND FORECAST: Our 23 February article, “FLORIDA: NO LOCKDOWN, LESS PROBLEMS” detailed Florida’s success in dealing with the virus compared to other states. With its economy booming compared to much of the rest of the nation, and its population growing as people escape for a freer lifestyle and less state tax, we forecast that DeSantis will be a prime candidate in the 2024 Presidential Reality Show®.
