Democrats continue to speak out against a string of bills that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law last weekend. The bill comes as Governor DeSantis is facing political hurdles on his journey to the presidency. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried (D) is now calling SB 1718 “a disaster.”
Taking to social media to release a statement on the signing of SB 1718, Chair Fried discussed the recent legislative actions of Governor DeSantis, pointing out that they are having terrible effects on Floridians more especially immigrants.
In her statement, Fried says that the signing of the bill has had "an immediate impact" on Florida. It is "forcing families to flee the state, and crushing our economy in the process," Fried said, explains that we’ve already seen it’s negative impact."
She explained that "over the past month, we’ve seen empty construction sites, fields without farmers, and restaurants short staffed. This anti-immigrant law is a disaster for our economy with a direct impact on our largest industries from agriculture, tourism and construction, but also it will have a direct impact on our cost of living. With fewer workers, the cost of food will increase, construction of homes will be delayed, and costs will rise. We already have a housing shortage, and now we won't have enough people to build more affordable homes."
Fried went on to say that "Republican legislators who voted for the bill are starting to see the receipts," accusing Republicans of warning that people shouldn't leave the state. However, because the lawmakers have put their "political ambitions above the people of the state," Fried argues that everyone in Florida will pay for DeSantis' legislative action.
Fried ultimately affirms that Democrats stand with immigrants that are facing the effects of SB 1718, admitting that "immigrants are the backbone of our nation and state, and we won't back down."
