While he acknowledges three years of commendable performance, Governor DeSantis expressed concern over the aftermath of turning the country over to Dr. Fauci in March 2020. In an interview with TheBlaze founder Glenn Beck, DeSantis lamented how it negatively impacted millions of people’s lives. Despite the backlash from the media, bureaucracy, and even fellow Republicans, Florida stood firm, keeping schools open and businesses running.
During the beginning of the epidemic, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, followed the CDC’s guidelines, which mandated lockdowns and school closures. President Trump criticized DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming that the governor had “shut down [the] Sunshine State.”
Trump stated in February, “Florida was actually closed, for a great, long period of time. Don’t forget that he shut down the beaches and everything else, right? They’re trying to spin the narrative.”
DeSantis’s lockdown measures, set in motion in March 2020, were adopted by supporters of Trump after an interview with Glenn Beck. An executive order was signed by DeSantis which ordered the immediate closure of all public beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Furthermore, all theatres, music halls, auditoriums, bowling alleys, arcades, gyms, and fitness studios in these two counties were mandated closed as well.
Governor DeSantis stated that each beach must follow CDC’s guidelines, capping groups at 10, and social distancing. Some of DeSantis’ supporters have cited former President Trump’s recent actions in response to the pandemic, citing videos of him stating he took action by “shutting it down” as an example of his leadership.
