While Gov. Ron DeSantis was busy taking a victory lap for his “Anything Goes In Florida” policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Miami Beach was declaring a state of emergency due to the throngs of spring breakers ignoring the virus as if it no longer exists.
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Apparently, COVID-19 has disappeared in Texas and Mississippi, where masks are no longer required — and in Florida, where spring breakers and the “privileged” flock to participate in an ‘Anything Goes In Florida’ mentality.
For months, the beaches and bars have been open and operating at full capacity in Florida — all with the blessing of Gov. DeSantis and his “come on down and forget about the virus” attitude. Now, after a year of criticism by health experts and political rivals as well as mockery from late-night comedians, DeSantis is raising his fist in victory.
“Everyone told me I was wrong,” the Republican governor said last week regarding his defiance against the pandemic. “I faced continued pressure from radical Democrats and the liberal media, but I refused to back down. It’s clear: Florida got it right.”
DeSantis’ claims of victory are based on lower than expected numbers of hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus within his state. However, what the governor has conveniently failed to consider is that because of his state’s ‘Anything Goes In Florida’ policy, people have been traveling to the sunshine state from all over the world, not social distancing or wearing masks, contracting the virus, then taking it back to their own cities and communities where the hospitalizations and deaths have spiked due to their presence in Florida.
For that reason, not everyone in Florida is celebrating.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber reiterated to the public that the pandemic is not over, saying he is seeing “too many people coming that want to just let loose in ways that are unacceptable.” In fact, the situation became so dire over the weekend that Gelber was forced to declare a state of emergency and order an 8pm curfew in the South Beach entertainment district through April 12th.
“We don’t want it [visitors coming with an ‘Anything Goes In Florida’ mentality] because honestly, it’s not healthy for our residents. And we certainly don’t want to be a hub of a problem that affects other communities locally or elsewhere,” Gelber said.
The mayor also criticized Gov. DeSantis for restricting local and city leaders to enforce mask mandates.
“The problem is that the message people are getting from the governor and others is that they shouldn’t have to worry about this. And that’s the hardest thing,” Gelber said. “They’re getting mixed messages, including from the most prominent voice in the state.”
Interestingly, the Federal Aviation Administration is also cracking down on those who act as if the pandemic has ended and refuse to social distance or wear masks. After receiving more than 500 complaints since last December, the FAA announced last week plans to extend stricter enforcement policies against unruly passengers — specifically targeting those who disobey masking policies.
“The number of cases we’re seeing is still far too high, and it tells us urgent action continues to be required,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said.
That governor down there is crazy. They let anything go on. I am glad the mayor shut all that down but I bet these kidsl just went someplace else. Acting like Covid is over is something I cannot understand.