DeSantis Takes Labor Day Victory lap, Touts Florida’s Post-Pandemic Economic Success

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis kicked off this year’s Labor Day holiday by underscoring Florida’s post-pandemic economic progress.

In a Labor Day Twitter post, Gov. DeSantis called to mind his administration’s protection of “the right of all Floridians to earn a living when many other states did not.” Additionally, the governor remarked Florida’s employment rates being higher than before the pandemic.

Economists have credited DeSantis’ economic policies for the unparalleled success of the Floridian economy. Some of DeSantis' measures included providing much-needed support for small business owners through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan, or resisting calls for draconian lockdowns that would’ve all but frozen the Floridian economy.

The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan, for example, rescued small business owners struggling to survive in the midst of the pandemic-induced economic crisis. Moreover, DeSantis’ anti-lockdown strategy and early termination of federal unemployment benefits led to nearly 1.3 million new hires in Florida.

Under DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s economy emerged from the pandemic having grown $60 Billion, outperforming the economies of most states and equaling the economic growth rate of the entire United States.

As midterm elections near, DeSantis is likely to increasingly rely on the economic success that Florida has enjoyed during his administration to attract more voters.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, political opponent and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has harnessed Labor Day as another opportunity to attack the governor, this time criticizing his handling of the homeowner’s insurance crisis.