As Florida prepares to ease a month-long shutdown, Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a scathing rebuttal of apocalyptic predictions for his state that were breathlessly hyped by the news media and proven wrong during the coronavirus crisis.
The governor showed slides of media stories warning that Florida would quickly run out of hospital beds while predicting the state would be the “next New York” or even a disastrous “uber Italy.”
Instead, the state with one of the most vulnerable populations due to age is faring well among the big states that were hit and is nowhere close to New York’s unfortunate predicament.
Watch the presentation here:
We need to focus on facts and not fear. They said Florida was going to be just like New York or an “Uber Italy” when it came to hospitalizations and fatalities. This was wrong. It’s time to focus on the facts and follow a safe, smart and step-by-step plan for recovery. pic.twitter.com/tCksZJ05a3
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 1, 2020
“We need to focus on facts and not fear,” said DeSantis. “I think that there’s been a lot that’s been done to try to promote fear.”
“They said Florida was going to be just like New York or an ‘Uber Italy’ when it came to hospitalizations and fatalities. This was wrong. It’s time to focus on the facts and follow a safe, smart and step-by-step plan for recovery.”
DeSantis posted a graphic of a Washington Examiner piece titled, “Florida could be the next New York in the coronavirus outbreak.”
Similar red alert headlines comparing Florida to the crisis in New York were blared by numerous other media outlets.
“Coronavirus could make Florida the next New York,” was the title of an alarming Sun Sentinel article which is currently titled “Coronavirus is ravaging New York, and Florida could be next. Are we ready?” The former title still shows up on search engines.
“As coronavirus cases surge in Florida, fears mount that action came too late,” reads a screeching Washington Post headline from one month ago as New York cases were skyrocketing.
One month later, the picture emerging from Florida currently tells a starkly different story – one of success in the face of media sniping.
The overall numbers show Florida faring quite well among big states, a remarkable achievement given that Florida has one of the oldest populations in the nation.