Florida’s governor is letting fear — and the virus — win

Over the past week, Governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly told Floridians “fear is our enemy” and “fear does not help us combat the virus.” While he may have been attempting to echo President Franklin Roosevelt’s depression-era inaugural address, his reassurance isn’t likely to ease the minds of Floridians who now find themselves living in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fear Floridians feel today isn’t unfounded. Our state has suffered over 5,500 deaths and is quickly closing in on 400,000 confirmed cases. The state’s weekly positivity rate hasn’t dipped below the 10 percent threshold recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since June 21. Over fifty ICUs are full, hospitals are scrambling for staff, and we have set new records for reported deaths four times in the past two weeks, including 173 deaths reported on Thursday — a new high.

On the economic front, Floridians filed over three million unique unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic.

The caseworkers on my staff have been inundated with the pleas of desperate constituents who couldn’t get through to the Department of Economic Opportunity, with nearly 300,000 Floridians still waiting in line for assistance. And yes, workers are afraid. Federal unemployment benefits that have boosted and extended Florida’s meager benefits are set to expire next week, and Senate Republicans, including Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, have wasted the two months since the House passed the Heroes Act to extend relief to our friends and neighbors who have been the economic victims of this deadly virus.

Beyond the very real anxiety for their health and financial security, Floridians are afraid that their governor just doesn’t care enough to do anything about it. When FDR said, “the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself ” it was a prelude to his first hundred days that ushered in the New Deal. He followed through on his inaugural promise to “recommend the measures that a stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require.” But while Governor DeSantis says we cannot “allow ourselves to become paralyzed by fear,” it is he and President Trump whose politicization of this pandemic has made them powerless to lead our state and our nation to make hard choices that public health experts tell us will save lives.

As the virus began to spread uncontrolled in parts of Florida hardest hit by the virus, DeSantis vowed, “We’re not rolling back.” He has repeatedly refused to issue a statewide mask mandate, ignoring CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield who voiced support for masks as “one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally.” Polling this week showed a stunning 79 percent of Florida voters support a statewide mask order. One of the analysts at Quinnipiac University who conducted the study said, “There’s palpable fear in the state of Florida right now and you’ve seen it in every aspect of every question we asked in this poll.”

In his address to Floridians on reopening schools on Wednesday, Governor DeSantis said, “Let’s not let fear get the best of us and harm our children in the process.” But 62 percent of Floridians think it is unsafe to send kids back to school in the fall, not to mention the risks to teachers, staff, and family members. And despite the governor’s attempts to convince Floridians that five-day-a-week in-person schools won’t be super spreaders, current CDC guidance recommends extended school dismissals to help slow the spread in areas where there is substantial community transmission. It is prudence, not fear, that has led South Florida schools to plan for virtual starts for the coming year.

On Thursday, the Governor said, “I think people are always trying to do political blame.” That sharp defensiveness — and fear of responsibility — is stunting his leadership, unnecessarily risking the lives of many Floridians, and holding our economic recovery back. By trying too hard to keep up appearances at the expense of setting realistic expectations, by minimizing the challenges ahead, and by refusing to make necessary decisions that will bring the outbreak in Florida under control, Governor DeSantis is letting fear — and the virus — win.