TALLAHASSEE, Florida — In what appears to be a case of “do as we say, but not as we do,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) broke her state’s stay-at-home-order and traveled to Atlanta over the Easter weekend, according to reporting from Florida-based Tallahassee Reports.
One of the highlights of Fried’s trip was a stop at a TV studio for an appearance on MSNBC’s “All In” on Friday night to criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
During her appearance critical of Florida’s Republican governor, Fried questioned churches remaining open.
“You know, obviously, I’ve been very critical of his approach to all of this,” Fried said. “You know, I called on a shutdown almost two weeks prior to him initiating it. And it is just dangerous. We were a piece-mealing approaches throughout the entire time, and that’s just not how the state of Florida works, that we needed the shutdown. And to now allow for churches to stay open — look, we certainly are all sympathetic of everybody wanting their religious opportunities, you know, I celebrated Passover via Zoom with my family on Wednesday night. But this is a time for us all to take this seriously.”
Franco Ripple, the communications director for Fried’s office, said Fried’s purpose for the Atlanta visit was to pick up her stepkids from their mom.
According to Tallahassee Reports, questions remain about the Florida political media’s willingness to scrutinize a statewide-elected Democrat to the extent it has with DeSantis.
“The Florida media has criticized DeSantis for not enforcing social distancing protocol at press conferences, on golf courses, and in her other venues,” the report said. “Will the state-wide media hold Nikki Fried to the same standard?”
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