A.G. Gancarski
Fresh off of calling for Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue a mandatory mask order for the state, the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services took it a step further.
In comments made to Bloomberg Radio Thursday afternoon, Nikki Fried contended the Governor is pushing ahead with his reopening plan, despite the number of cases going in the wrong direction, for reasons that have nothing to do with public health.
The goal: that nothing obstructs the relocated Republican National Convention.
That event, to be held in late August in Jacksonville, is expected to have a full arena with no mask requirement.
“I don’t see him yet making any moves backwards,” Fried said about the Governor, whose state is still in a Phase 2 reopening despite daily records in positive cases.
“We obviously have here in the state of Florida the Republican National Convention coming to Jacksonville at the end of August,” Fried said. “And so I think his mission is that his messaging for reopening our state stays pretty consistent. Moving forward, steadily.”
“And unfortunately that puts into jeopardy not only the people of our state, but anyone traveling here for the RNC,” Fried added.
Fried panned the “alarming numbers” as a function of “having moved too fast with reopening,” driving an “uptick” in the state.
A lack of statewide requirements don’t properly serve the “transient” population of the state, Fried noted.
For the Commissioner, this continues a largely one-sided feud with DeSantis, who has sought to marginalize her during the response to the coronavirus crisis much as he did during the Legislative Session that preceded it.
As far back as May, when the state parted ways with COVID-19 dashboard manager Rebekah Jones, Fried has said that just as the state’s response to coronavirus hasn’t been enough, the same holds true for the data.
“People can’t trust the information,” Fried said, saying DeSantis’ approach was “right out of the Donald Trump playbook.”
Fried went on to describe a “dangerous pattern … of misinformation,” especially regarding prisons and nursing homes, two sectors prone to institutional spread.
“This is a pattern of deception we’ve seen from the Governor over and over again,” Fried said, saying that she was ‘not surprised’ Jones, a former worker for the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, was fired for spotlighting problems with the process.
Jones has since gone on to contend that the state is deleting deaths, massaging metrics ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend.
The Governor has called that claim a product of a “conspiracy bandwagon.”
6 comments
RICHARD PEARCE
June 25, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Better look into 5 G. The physiological detrimental effects are documented and proven. But since Nikki
is in billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s hip-pocket she’s never get to the truth.
When 5G gets rolled out, millions in Florida, especially the elderly will die. Nikki is young enough to take the effects of 5G and she’s just keep on “MARXing” with her agendas.
Heathen Lady
June 26, 2020 at 7:21 am
Only Trumpers would believe the drivel in your 5G conspiracy theory. You probably believe that Obama wasn’t born in the USA, and Hillary Clinton was running a “child porn ring” out of a pizza parlor.
DUHSantis is allowing (indeed encouraging) thousands of unmasked people to an indoor convention, no social distancing. In the middle of the worst health crisis this country has ever seen! He is playing with dynamite. Like his dear leader Trump, he doesn’t give a 💩about public health. And we’re paying the price for their callousness.
Charlotte Greenbarg
June 26, 2020 at 7:30 am
Troll. Vulgar troll. Go away
Sonja Fitch
June 26, 2020 at 8:22 am
The goptrump cult are a bunch of sociopaths that have lost any grasp of reality! We are in a pandemic!!!! Stay home social distance wash hands and wear a damn mask! The goptrump cult does not care about us!
Booner
June 26, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Nikki Fried is right. We can’t trust the data being put out by Ron DeSantis. He is a lying sack just like his puppet master in the West Wing.
People can see that no one’s in control. Like a train loose on the tracks. We don’t know where we’ll end up.
Now we watch the slow motion train wreck of the GOP Convention coming to Jax as the numbers of Covid-19 cases soar to all time highs.
The Governor disregards the health of the public to get his nose in Trump’s rump. He knows the GOP Florida Convention could backfire in a big way but like a deer in the headlights, he is frozen in fear. Everyone sees it, everyone smells him. Mayor Lenny deserves a special Stupid Ass Award for his supporting role.
Sonja Fitch
June 27, 2020 at 5:04 pm
Damn. Little Marco,Moscow Mitch, traitor trump have known since March that Putin was paying bounty on US soldiers in Afghanistan! Looting Lenny do not let that slimy traitor trump and the rnc in our military town!!
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