Axios
“A boomtown feel”: Florida’s pandemic response gets a second look from national media
After a solid year with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats in the Sunshine State quietly pondered: Was right-wing Ron DeSantis’ pandemic response ready for Florida? Do not forget: More than 32,000 Florida people have died, a number that state leaders rarely recognize, but our death toll is no worse than the national average – and better than some states with stricter restrictions. Get market news worth your time with Axios Markets. The Los Angeles Times compared the responses from Florida and California: ‘California has imposed a host of restrictions that have hurt the economy and left most public school students at home for a year. … Florida has adopted a more laissez-faire approach. by public health experts – to allow inside restaurants, leave masks optional and get children back into the classroom sooner. ‘But it points out:’ If California had had a death rate in Florida, about 6,000 California residents would have died from COVID-19 and tens of thousands of additional patients would probably have ended up in already overloaded hospitals. And if Florida had the death toll in California, about 3,000 fewer Floridians would have died from COVID-19. On the front page of Sunday, the New York Times cited the positive investigation – from the booming real estate market to the low unemployment rate in Florida – of an early reopening: ‘A large part of the state has a strong feeling in the city , ” writes Patricia Mazzei, ” a feeling of months of lost time. “The Times notes that Florida’s unemployment rate is 5.1%, compared to 9.3% in California, 8.7% in New York and 6.9% in Texas.” That the debate over the reopening of schools? It came and went months ago. Children have been in classrooms since the fall. “The whole thing: much of the public outcry of DeSantis’ pandemic response feels more and more like an audition for a 2024 presidential election, noted by Marc Caputo of Politico.” With a COVID death toll covering New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and a pandemic-related attempt to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom, DeSantis is embracing as an example of a red state. ‘Our thought bubble: we have known for a long time that the state’s pre- a matter of the Republican leadership was a kind of big bargain: that the death toll was the price to make trade flow and keep children in school. The closer you are to loss or to the fullness of life will probably determine how you feel about the reaction of the state. This story first appeared in the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter, designed to help readers get faster with the most important news unfolding in their own backyard. Sign in here. Like this article? Get more from Axios a and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.