CPAC Orlando: DeSantis calls Florida an ‘oasis of freedom’
Some resisting COVID-19 mask rule at convention
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Florida an “oasis of freedom” from coronavirus restrictions Friday as he kicked off the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando that saw violations of a local mandatory mask rule.
“We are in an oasis of freedom in a nation that’s suffering from the yoke of oppressive lockdowns,’’ the governor said. “We look around in other parts of our country, and in far too many places, we see schools closed, businesses shuttered and lives destroyed. And while so many governors over the last year kept locking people down, Florida lifted people up.”
More than 30,600 Floridians have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began with nearly 1.9 million total cases in the state.
For much of the day, CPAC’s attempts to enforce mask policies imposed because of the pandemic led to some tense moments involving people whose adherence to the rule was spotty at best.
YouTube personality Essential Fleccas, registered as news media, was asked to leave after repeated refusals to wear a mask.
The annual conference was shifted to Florida this year after COVID-19 restrictions shut down the event’s traditional Maryland hotel.
Both CPAC and the Hyatt Regency Orlando vowed that mask-wearing and social distancing would be strictly enforced, especially after CPAC made headlines last year when a New Jersey doctor who attended tested positive for the coronavirus shortly afterward.
But non-compliance started early.
Several attendees in line to hear DeSantis pulled theirs down to talk to each other, despite signs reminding people to wear masks and keep six feet apart all around the hotel and conference center.
One person not wearing a mask walked past several Hyatt employees without being directed to put one on. Other Hyatt employees successfully asked people to put on or pull up their masks, and later in the day, they walked around with warning signs and with bags of masks to hand out.
At one point CPAC organizers were booed and met with chants of “Freedom!” when they asked the crowd to comply.
“I know this might sound like a little bit of a downer, but we also believe in property rights, and this is a private hotel,” said Dan Schneider, executive director of the American Conservative Union, which runs CPAC. “And we believe in the rule of law, so we need to comply with the laws of this county that we’re in.’’
Despite the lapses, Orange County spokeswoman Despina McLaughlin said COVID-19 strike teams visited the Hyatt unannounced and found “every effort is being made” to enforce mask policies.
While no final attendance numbers were available, the main ballroom repeatedly approached its post-COVID capacity of 1,400 throughout the day. CPAC expects about 4,000 people over the course of the event.
In his speech, DeSantis urged conservatives to stand firm against progressives.
“When the left comes after you, will you stay strong? Or will you fall? he said. “[When] you engage in the battles ahead, hold the line. Stand your ground and don’t ever, ever back down.”
The governor also touched on one of the major themes of this year’s CPAC, at which seven panels will discuss Trump’s unfounded claims of a “stolen” election.
In November, DeSantis declared that Florida’s election went smoothly, with President Trump easily winning the state. Even so, last week the governor proposed legislation to restrict mail-in voting and dropboxes, key obsessions for Trump and his team’s conspiracy theories.
“We weren’t going to rest on our laurels this year,” DeSantis said. “Florida’s leading on banning all forms of ballot harvesting and bans on third party political groups like those funded by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg from interfering in the administration of our elections.”
DeSantis, who plans to run for reelection next year and is considered a possible presidential candidate in 2024, made no mention of Trump in his five minutes of remarks.