DeSantis’ strong start is a distant memory

Governor DeSantis, what has happened to you these last two years?

I thought you were a good man and a great leader for our state, navigating us through the onset of the pandemic. I thought you had our backs. Then something changed. You became much more focused on your political future than the health and safety of your constituents.

Your stance against a mask mandate, which may be needed statewide, flies in the face of everything you say in your narrative about personal and parental rights. Local school boards are made up of people we voted for and who we want to make the rules — not you, Sir. You are clearly in a position to benefit off the backs of people infected with COVID, by touting monoclonal antibody treatment instead of prevention as a first-line defense.

Parents do have rights and responsibilities to teach their children to be active and contributing members of society for the common good. I am not a fan of property taxes, but I pay them to support schools and other services I may never use. Wearing a mask is a small but important act to help move us past this pandemic.

We didn’t change the narrative, you did. You have the power to change it again to your benefit and that of Floridians. Be the governor we started with, who loves this state. Let local entities — governments and businesses — set their own rules to adjust to local conditions if you can’t or won’t take responsibility for the whole state.

Amy Hamilton, Fort Lauderdale