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Growing Resistance to DeSantis' Failure to Deal with COVID

Updated: Aug 19, 2021

Growing Resistance to DeSantis’ Failure to Deal with COVID 19. Florida, with a population that represents 6.5 percent of the United States (US) population, accounted for 19 percent of the new COVID 19 cases reported on August 16. The seven-day moving average of new cases (21,786 cases) indicated a 209.5 percent increase from July 16. During the week of August 5-12, the state recorded more than 151,000 new COVID 19 cases and 1,071 deaths from COVID 19. Hospitalizations in Florida have risen this week after slowing down over the weekend. COVID 19 patients account for 31.07 percent of all hospital patients. About 55 percent, more than 3,600 patients, of intensive care unit patients have COVID 19. Many hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortages by next week. Half the hospitals in Florida have stopped accepting transfer patients from other facilities. By almost any measure Florida is leading the nation in COVID 19. COVID 19 patients make up only 12.16 percent of hospital patients in the United States but Florida accounts for 19.05 percent of all of the nation’s current COVID 19 hospitalizations. 25.91 percent of the ICU patients are being treated for COVID 19 nationally and Florida has 16.6 percent of the country’s total COVID 19 patients in ICUs.


Despite being the poster child for the recent COVID 19 delta variant spike in the US, Governor Ron DeSantis, who frequently spreads misinformation about COVID 19 at his press conferences, continues to not permit local school boards to mandate masks as schools open in Florida. However, he is now facing resistance. Broward (Ft. Lauderdale), Alachua County (Gainesville), Miami Dade, Hillsborough (Tampa), and Palm Beach School Districts have defied Governor DeSantis’ executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools. Leon County School District requires masks for all pre-school through 8th grade. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper refused to dismiss a lawsuit against DeSantis’ prohibition of mask mandates. On August 17, the Florida Board of Education voted to sanction Broward and Alachua County Districts because they require masks for all students and staff, unless there is a medical exception. It should be noted that the Board did not specify the sanction that it would impose, which could indicate a reluctance to enforce the Governor’s mask mandate ban. Despite the executive order and threats from the Governor and the State School Board, Alachua County voted on August 17 to extend its mask mandate for two more months.


A task force of medical doctors recommended that students in Miami-Dade, the largest school district in Florida, be required to wear masks when they return to class next week. School Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, stated that the Board would “do the right thing” despite the consequences and on August 18 the district voted to require masks. The Palm Beach School District reversed its original decision the same day and is now requiring masks. The Hillsborough school district, the 3rd largest in Florida, had more than 5,500 students quarantined in less than one week after school opened. It now has 8,400 students and 307 staff in quarantine as of August 17 and it lists 1,695 COVID 19 cases. Hillsborough School District voted on August 18 to require masks. The evidence indicates that other districts may follow. It should also be noted that 66 percent of Floridians agree that all students, staff, and teachers should wear a mask regardless of vaccine status (Florida Atlantic poll). In addition, DeSantis’ overall popularity has fallen from 55 percent in May to 44 percent in early August (Florida Politics).


The primary job of any chief executive, a president or governor, is to keep his/her citizens safe from harm. It is clear by virtually all measures that Governor DeSantis with his complete laissez-faire approach to the pandemic has failed Floridians. With growing dissatisfaction with his lack of response to COVID 19, his seemingly “I don’t care” attitude toward the health of vulnerable school children, his all too often misinformation concerning COVID 19, and growing resistance to his order against mask mandates in schools, the question one may ask is how will this affect his re-election chances. Democratic candidates for Governor, Charlie Crist (former Governor) and Nikki Fried (Secretary of Agriculture) will make DeSantis’ complete failure to keep Floridians safe the major issue in the campaign. This was one of the primary reasons for President Trump's failure to be re-elected in 2020. DeSantis’ mask policy also represents another example of his efforts to limit the power of local governments (see my earlier commentaries on this topic) and flies in the face of traditional conservatism.


Data from Florida Atlantic University, Florida Politics, Florida Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the US Department of Health and Human Service.

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