Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) touted the successes of his state as many blue states continue to restrict their residents’ activities, declaring, again, that the Sunshine State is open and assuring Floridians that “we’ve got your back.”
“Every Floridian has the right to earn a living. Florida is open, and we’ve got your back,” DeSantis declared on Sunday alongside a video delivering similar remarks.
“Florida also led and continues to lead on protecting the livelihoods of our people. While so many other states kept locking people down, Florida lifted people up,” he said, emphasizing that the state government, under his leadership, believes that “every job is essential”:
“If you work in a restaurant, we have your back. If you’re a hairstylist, we protect your right to earn a living,” he said. “And if you are a parent, we ensure your kids have the right to attend school in person. Lockdowns do not work. School closures have been disastrous yet even today we see across our country businesses shuttered, lives ruined, and schools closed.”
Florida, he added, is “better” for the steps it has taken to reopen.
DeSantis has remained on the receiving end of criticism from progressives for his handling of the pandemic. Such criticisms began at the start of the pandemic after DeSantis’s initial refusal to eagerly implement lockdown orders. He also refused to issue a statewide mask mandate and began to take significant steps in reopening the state while others remained in lockdown late last year.
He also came under fire from progressives for prioritizing seniors in the state’s overall vaccine distribution. CNN went as far as suggesting that the Sunshine State governor was actively “bucking” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations by putting the at-risk population first.
Florida has since vaccinated over one million seniors statewide. Overall, Florida has distributed 2,296,350 vaccinations and administered nearly 2 million, according to the CDC’s January 31 data.
On Monday, DeSantis said Florida will have the capacity to “double” the output in vaccine distribution if more doses are allocated to the state: