Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday announced his intention to take legal action against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the federal government over restrictions on the cruise industry.
The Republican governor, who has led the way in prioritizing liberty in the age of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, made the announcement during a press conference at Port Miami, one of the busiest ports across the globe. The CDC and federal government, he suggested, have largely left the cruise industry in limbo for a year. Florida is also home to Port Canaveral and Port Everglades, two central ports with global standing.
“The main reason for that is because the federal government and the CDC has locked down this industry for over a year. This is not reasonable. This is not rational,” he said.
The CDC imposed a no-sail order in March 2020 and has indicated it does not intend to lift it before November.
“We believe that it is time for us to vindicate the state’s rights and the rights of the state in court and also vindicate the livelihoods of the tens of thousands of Floridians who depend on this industry,” DeSantis said, promising that “help is on the way.”
“We’re going to keep at this until we finally get it open,” he vowed.
DeSantis ultimately said people should be able to make the decision whether they want to cruise or not, and they will end up doing it “one way or another.”
“The question is, are we going to do it out of Florida, which is the number one place to do it in the world, or are they going to be doing it out of the Bahamas or other locations?” DeSantis asked.
“I think that the answer to that question should be obvious for Floridians. We want our folks to be able to go back to work, we want to be able to stand up to them and their families and so today we’re doing that,” he added.
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