Any kind of travel restriction can hurt Florida’s economy, which depends heavily on tourists. The initial wave of blockades last spring sent the state’s tax collection spiraling. Florida would have been hit by a serious budget deficit had it not been for the nearly $ 5 billion in coronavirus relief it received from Congress.
DeSantis’ comments mark an escalation in tensions between the Biden government and Florida. DeSantis was a great ally of former President Donald Trump, who now lives in Florida, and used that relationship to get federal help and support for some of the governor’s key initiatives during his first two years in office.
Last month, DeSantis criticized some of the initial vaccine distribution plans discussed by the White House and pushed for more doses – which resulted in White House press secretary Jen Psaki blaming Florida for not using its full vaccine quota. DeSantis responded by pointing out that some of the doses were being saved to ensure that there was enough to provide a second injection.
But DeSantis issuing a The challenging answer to the idea is a turnaround from last year, when he enacted restrictions on visitors from other states to Florida, such as New York, New Jersey and Louisiana. At the beginning of the pandemic, the governor demanded that anyone arriving in Florida from several critical points of the coronavirus perform a self-quarantine for 14 days. At one point, DeSantis even had the Florida Highway Patrol set up checkpoints on Interstate 10, the main highway that connects Florida to Louisiana.
DeSantis, who is already raising money for his 2022 re-election campaign, is seen as a potential candidate for the presidency in 2024, especially if Trump gives up on another run. DeSantis won praise from conservative media and other Republicans for his refusal to enact rigid blockades and his constant dispute with the media.
Tyler Pager contributed to this report.