Florida has defeated Fauci-ism and freedom has prevailed in the Sunshine state, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“We refuse to let this state descend into some type of Faucian dystopia where people's freedoms are curtailed and their livelihoods are destroyed,” DeSantis said at Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Thursday.
“We protected people's rights. We protected people's jobs. We protected small businesses and we made sure that every kid in the state of Florida had an opportunity to go to school in person five days a week. In Florida, we reject the biomedical security state, which erodes liberty, harms livelihoods, and divides our society.”
He said Florida was willing to make tough decisions during the Covid crisis.
“I look back at President Eisenhower's farewell address," he said. "Many of you remember it because he warned us about the Military Industrial Complex. That was smart. He was right but if you read that speech, he also warned about the dangers of a rising scientific and technological elite government funding more scientific research. When that happens, there's a danger that public policy can be held captive by this scientific elite.”
During his 20-minute speech, DeSantis promoted Florida as a national and international refuge.
“People are coming to Florida to visit but also just picking up and moving here,” he said. “We have led the nation in net migration since COVID started but I can tell you that this is not just because we have lower taxes because we've always had lower taxes. These are people who are fleeing leftist governments in this country and even around the world.”
Florida is the No. 1 state people relocated to for the last two years, according to a Move.org study.
“My duty is to stand up and protect the freedoms and the jobs of the people I represent and if that puts me in political jeopardy, then so be it,” DeSantis said. “I will stand with them. I'm not going to try and protect my own hide. I believe had Florida not led the way, this country could look like Canada or Australia. We sometimes take freedom for granted. You should not do that.”
When DeSantis criticized President Joe Biden, a cheering crowd stood to their feet.
“There's one fellow that just hates Florida and his name is Joe Biden,” he said. “Biden is always criticizing us, always trying to take potshots at Florida and he does things like take our medication. He stiffs storm victims of relief just because he doesn't like the governor. He doesn't like Florida. He doesn't like us because we stand up to him. That's why he doesn't like me. Last year, we called a special session to protect every Florida job from Biden's vaccine mandate and we succeeded. We've sent people to the Texas border and are suing Biden over his catch and release policy because he is not following the constitution by letting our borders be overrun.”