From The Miami Herald:
We’re looking like ‘Flori-duh’ again, Gov. DeSantis. Any idea how that happened? | Editorial
BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL BOARD
APRIL 12, 2020 07:43 AM, UPDATED 42 MINUTES AGO
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on April 1, 2020 that he would limit activity in the state to essential services only for 30 days. BY GOV. RON DESANTIS
You know what Florida really needs right now?
A governor.
But in Ron DeSantis, Florida, at this most challenging time of the coronavirus, has a hesitant leader who continues to split the baby; a man who we would like to think is acting against his better judgment, perhaps, for political favor, but to the detriment of the rest of us.
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He touts his access to President Trump, but has taken misguided direction from same.
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TWO STEPS BACK
Florida’s governor is the quasi-decider, expressing support for not penalizing newly unemployed Floridians, but hasn’t yet signed off on giving them benefits from the day they lost their jobs, though we commend him for his all-hands-on-deck order to get the flawed benefits website up to speed; still, refusing to close beaches, letting Spring Breakers continue to cavort. Of course, he’s not alone here. Spring Breakers and the Winter Party Festival partied on in Miami Beach, on the sand; exempting houses of worship from his late-in-the-game order for Floridians to stay at home, but not backing up the calls of some religious leaders to urge worshipers to remain at home on Easter; pledging government transparency, but not releasing the names of assisted-living facilities where the coronavirus has been confirmed. His office is vigorously fighting the Herald’s efforts to secure the information; mulling letting students and teachers and staff go back to school, yet the full extent of the pandemic’s spread in Florida remains an unknown.
While good Samaritans in Florida are stitching up masks for unprotected medical personnel, the governor has assured us that hydroxychloroquine — pushed hard by the president — will be readily available. Hydroxychloroquine, indeed, has a proven value as an anti-inflammatory and anti-malarial drug. However, it still is undergoing rigorous clinical testing to determine its worth in the fight against the coronavirus and, according to the New York Times, President Trump has a financial interest in one of its makers. This comes on top of DeSantis’ disrespectful pushback last month against Dr. Anthony Fauci’s caution that there was “community spread” of the corornavirus in Florida. The governor denied it. The governor was wrong, dangerously so.
The New York Times just took on how the state’s Spring Break lapses helped fuel its spread. The headline, “The costly toll of not shutting down Spring Break earlier,” is self-explanatory. So we’re looking like “Flori-duh” once again.
A TO-DO LIST
We urge DeSantis to issue a stay-at-home order for himself: Instead of sapping resources to fly around the state to announce this and that, remain in Tallahassee and return his attention to the state of the state and what that will look like when the crisis has passed. And it might pass more quickly if he simply listens to the health experts, fulfills the needs of local governments, follows the lead of other governors who acted more decisively and earlier on behalf of their constituents and does his very best to do no further harm.
For instance:
“It’s imperative that officials rethink the state budget. Jimmy Patronis has been sounding the alarm since the legislative session ended last month. And he’s right to do so. Given the hit that state revenue is going to take because of the coronavirus’ rampage, Patronis has asked the governor and legislative leaders to convene the Florida’s Revenue Estimating Conference as soon as possible to assess the chances that there won’t be sufficient funds to pay for the fiscal 2021 spending plan. How much the state will reap from the federal stimulus package is an unknown.
DeSantis should kick-start this important discussion now and convene the REC.
“The Miami Herald reported on Friday that less than one week after the first case of the coronavirus was reported at Blackwater River Correctional Facility outside Pensacola, the number has soared to at least 30 inmates, not including the six staffers who also have been infected. Inmates reportedly are not allowed to cover their faces, testing is not assured and cleaning products were not distributed until last week. Surely this outbreak cannot have been a surprise. The private prison manager, Geo Group says it has implemented CDC guidelines. Prisons, both state and privately run must be monitored closely. The coronavirus should not become a convenient “death sentence” for an easily dismissed population.
“The state is underreporting the number of COVID-19 cases, releasing only those confirmed at state labs. However, there remains a backlog of unconfirmed tests at private laboratories. This means that at a time when the governor is prematurely mulling when schools might open, Floridians, including health experts and researchers, have no accurate picture of the depth and breadth of the coronavirus’ spread. What’s the plan to remedy this, governor?
And we do mean, Governor.
Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated to include the New York Times’ Spring Break analysis.
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article241950596.html#storylink=cpy
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