Nikki Fried Opposes Clemency for Floridians Facing COVID-Related Charges

When Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to grant clemency for any Floridian facing charges and fines for disobeying COVID-19 mask mandates, Democrats like AG Commissioner Nikki Fried took issue with the measure saying that DeSantis was rewarding criminals who broke municipal mandates.

“The fact is, it’s not even right to be wearing masks when you’re exercising the World Health Organization advises against it, it’s not healthy for people to be doing that in the 1st place,” added DeSantis.  “So, it was a bad restriction but these things with health should be advisory, they should not be punitive and so we’re happy to use our constitutional authority I think they’ve been treated poorly and Fortunately they got a governor that cares.”

Nothing has changed, and during the most recent Flordia clemency board meeting in Tallahassee on Tuesday (today), the board wiped out "any covid-related fines or fees" that weren't addressed during the previous meeting," according to POLITICO's Matt Dixon.

As expected, the entire board, which includes the Florida Cabinet, voting in favor of the measure except for Democrat Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Fried, who is running for governor in next year's midterm elections, has been busy trying to keep DeSantis accountable for all his actions, even with lifting fines and punishments for citizens saddled by COVID restriction mandates.

Fried, along with just about every Florida Democrat, has pushed DeSantis to put in place a statewide mask order and to shut down the state, but DeSantis resisted and now Florida is the envy of the nation over how it dealt with and is recovering from the pandemic.

DeSantis has also expressed his concerns over children being ordered to wear masks in schoo.

“These kids do not need to be wearing these masks, OK? I’m sorry, they don’t,” DeSantis said during a news conference at Christ the King Catholic School in Jacksonville. “We need to be able to let them be kids and let them act normally. And that’s what should be the case in the fall throughout the school year.”