TALLAHASSEE —Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has faced scrutiny over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Sunshine State. Most recently, he was even dubbed “Governor DeathSantis” by Sunny Hostin, a host of the View. Moreover, his vaccine rollout has also received heavy criticism, being called “criminal” by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), a potential gubernatorial rival in the upcoming 2022 election.
However, during his health care roundtable meeting in the Capitol on Thursday, Governor DeSantis assured that he is not paying attention to the criticism, choosing to focus on his “Seniors First” agenda while trying to keep the state open.
"That's really when the state does well," the Governor told journalists this morning as he discussed the measures that the Sunshine State is taking to help Floridians during the ongoing pandemic. "Florida's doing the strategy of focused protection, we have 40 states in our country that have higher per capita... COVID-related mortality for 65 and up senior citizens," DeSantis explained. He added that this is due to "poor policies" regarding nursing homes in those states.
The Governor also shared that he believes the issue of growing unemployment also falls under the category of "public health." He pointed out that states such as California and New York have experienced skyrocketing unemployment rates, questioning "just think if our unemployment was 89%...how many fewer people would have health insurance through their jobs?"
