Jason Delgado
Hours after state health officials confirmed 133 new COVID-19 deaths, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried appeared on national media to criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s leadership.
Speaking with CNN’s Brianna Keilar, Fried told a national audience DeSantis has no plan and does not care about Floridians.
“The problem is the Governor has lost the faith and the trust from the people of our state,” Fried said. “They no longer count on the data coming out. They no longer believe that he has a plan for our future and they believe he’s never cared about them. There’s been no empathy shown whatsoever from this Governor and no humility that when we did flatten the curve, he went on the national circus and went across the entire state claiming mission accomplished.”
Fried also criticized DeSantis for looking to the White House for answers.
She cited a statement DeSantis made Monday suggesting he would call the White House later that evening.
“Our hospital beds are at capacity and all he keeps talking about is what’s happening at the White House or what’s happening in our hospitals,” Fried said. “How about we work together to try to prevent people from actually getting sick and being in the hospital to begin with.”
Fried highlighted her advocacy for a statewide mask mandate and her willingness to “take a step backwards.”
“We need to take a slower approach,” Fried said. “We need to make sure we are enforcing the ones that are open. We need to be able to look at some of these establishments and say ‘should you have been open?’ ‘Are you following the CDC recommendations and guidelines?’ And if not, we need to be taking a pause and not seeing us move forward to opening back up more parts of our state.”
Later Tuesday, Fried continued her crusade against DeSantis, appearing on Cheddar.
There, she criticized DeSantis for not working with his Cabinet through the reopening process.
“He reopened too fast,” said Fried. “We had a very methodical, data-driven reopening plan that he threw out the window. He opened up too fast, went to phase one, and then went to phase two. There was absolutely zero accountability to local establishments for not following those guidelines.”
Fried accused DeSantis of “putting his head down in the sand” and criticized him for inviting the RNC and the NBA to Florida.
“Basically he’s shown no leadership,” Fried said. “Part of the problem is he’s not taking this seriously and so when he doesn’t take it seriously, how can businesses and the people of our state take it seriously?”
As of Tuesday morning, Florida’s respective COVID-19 death toll now totals to 4,409, including 133 new deaths confirmed Monday. The previous record mortality in a single report was 120, reached Thursday.
8 comments
ShamelessNikki
July 14, 2020 at 4:00 pm
Ms. fried is a typical phony Democrat who will do or say anything to get herself in position to run for Florida Governorship.
Using this current virus for political purposes, is about as low as anyone can go, to make political points.
Anyone with sense, understands that this virus is unique, and that the so called “experts” are very divided on how this epidemic should be handled.
Ms. Fried knows full well, that Gov. DeSantis has done as good a job as possible, to prevent more deaths. She knows full well, that Gov. DeSantis is not responsible for decisions made at a local level, and she knows full well, that she could not have done a better job than he has.
But, like a viper in the grass, she jumps up and bites anyone anyone and anything that gets in the way of her power quest.
Using a pandemic for political purposes is sick.
Ocean Joe
July 14, 2020 at 4:54 pm
DENYING A PANDEMIC FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES IS EVEN SICKER.
So DeSantis’s perfect response explains why Florida is the epicenter of the virus? He waited for guidance from Trump (none came), Nikki and Rick Scott BOTH urged action, he waited. Local officials took control. They are doing their best, while your party undermines them (Sabatini suing to block masks). One good thing Desantis did was the extra bed space at the Miami Beach convention center. Firing Rebekkah Jones, fudging statistics to enable the early opening, not smart. Opening schools because Trump has tweeted it will fuel the second wave. Count on it.
You cannot re-elect Trump unless the virus is brought under control, why won’t you and your party understand this and get on board?
Dan
July 14, 2020 at 4:31 pm
This is the same Nikki the Marxist who was sued to let Floridians apply for Concealed Weapons permits on line. Her Socialist agenda was to block citizens from utilizing their Rights as listed in the U.S. and The Florida Constitutions in obtaining Concealed weapons permits. Today her web site in defective and doesn’t submit completed applications to the citizen by email and not a single print button works. All data is returned as a series of “****” on the forms. She should be ashamed such a simple web site doesn’t work but then it is intentionally defective. At the same time, there is no way to contact her office or leave a message, completing a complete loop of non answers. If no one works there, no one should be receiving a paycheck.
Amy C Roberts
July 14, 2020 at 7:22 pm
Nikki Fried is always working on behalf of our State and it’s citizens. She takes her office seriously and gets a lot of flak for doing just that. Her naysayers, try as they might to drag her through the mud, she always comes out on top because of her dedication to doing what’s right for Florida.
Harry
July 14, 2020 at 10:24 pm
As usual, Nikki Fried is absolutely correct. I don’t know if she’s gonna run or not but we need her in the governor’s office in 2022. This lady cares about this state, unlike the current governor.
BlueHeron
July 14, 2020 at 11:59 pm
Fried is a lone voice in Tally speaking truth to power. She won’t be intimidated.
I do not wish to be ordered about by elected officials who are not qualified
to manage this crisis and who do not have the good sense to rely heavily on all
health officials who are well educated and have the experience required to guide
them and the people. It’s all about the SCIENCE.
I would listen to the good, bad or ugly from the so-called “experts”.
I can handle the truth.
So Fauci is being kicked to the side for the most part and is being mocked by various WH officials. Fauci will not be silenced and also speaks truth to power. Now the WH has ordered the hospitals to STOP providing their data to the CDC and from now on, send to HHS. The National Guard is recommended by Trump to handle this. What?
The CDC has been the world leader in public health for decades and now they are being silenced. Pence says (in exasperated fashion) CDC guidelines should NOT be the reason for kids not to go to school.
So, if Trump gets his way, we will have zero access to reliable data. We are left with data hidden or manipulated by Trump, HHS and his minions. Dr. Redfield (CDC) had said that this fall and winter 2020/2021 will be the most difficult times that we’ve experienced in public health.
And what are we doing about it? NOTHING.
Trump needs to change the entire narrative to favor himself. The desperation to be re-elected is completely transparent. So desperate that they actually think they can bend this virus to their will. As per usual, crickets from the Senate & House R’s and down to the state level.
We are in very grave danger if we continue this way. The writing is on the wall.
Listen to the science. See the current reality.
This is not hyperbole.
To ShamelessNikki. Fried “using the pandemic for political purposes is sick.”
Are you kidding me? She doesn’t run the country, or even the state. Trump, his administration and Congress made this political from day one. All of the rotten apples are coming from the rotten Trump tree. Now we are swimming in rotten apples at every level.
He has the power to fix this. To use his power for good. But he chooses not to.
The power he uses is only when it can benefit himself personally.
He is incapable of caring about anyone but himself. That includes his supporters. If circumstances ever forced him to choose between his supporters or his own betterment, his supporters will not only be thrown under the bus but he will back up and run them over again. Take that to the bank.
Sonja Fitch
July 15, 2020 at 3:57 am
The goptrump cult sociopaths,Duffus Desantis,cockroach Corcoran and looting Lenny do not give a rats ass about Floridians! Duffus Desantis is laughed at by even other goptrump cult sociopaths!
Charlotte Greenbarg
July 15, 2020 at 7:39 am
There you go again Nikki, deflecting from your hypocrisy as you try to have us forget your abusive married fiancé and his connection to cannabis and your failed attempt to regulate it. Your deception is evident and it won’t work. Clean The windows on your own house and stop making ridiculous false accusations
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