During the past election cycle, incumbent Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) outlasted challenger Scotty Moore (R) by 7 points. However, the result did not come without controversy.
Before the election, Moore was set to debate Soto in the WESH-2 (Orlando) TV station. However, due to the station’s strict (the Republican Party of Florida called “discriminatory”) policy of not allowing those who haven’t been vaccinated into the station, Moore was not able to debate Rep. Soto.
According to a statement provided by the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), “WESH-2’s unlawful action denied Central Florida voters an opportunity to make informed decisions on election day.”
The RPOF and the Moore campaign filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health.
Because of the circumstances, the Florida Department of Health fined the station in violation of section 381.00316, which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2021.
The statute essentially “prohibits private businesses from requiring vaccine documentation and states in relevant part: ‘A business entity, as defined in s. 768.38 to include any business operating in this state, may not require patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or postinfection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business operations in this state.’”
The RPOF concluded that “this is a victory for freedom. Florida has made clear that unscientific and discriminatory COVID vaccine mandates will not stand in the Free State of Florida.”
7 points is a lot of ground to cover. However, who knows what the outcome would have been should the debate had taken place.
