Miami Beach Mayor Complains: DeSantis and Legislature ‘Outlawed’ Vaccine and Mask Mandates

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Hannah Knudsen

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat, complained about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the Republican legislature during an appearance on CNN, suggesting there is nothing he can do to curb the spread of the omicron variant in the Sunshine State because state leaders “outlawed” certain mandates.

Indeed, the omicron variant of the virus, which experts have admitted is a “milder” disease than the delta variant, is spreading across the U.S., in both areas with mask and vaccine mandates and those without. Despite the fact that vaccines do not prevent the spread of the illness itself, Gelber took a shot at DeSantis, accusing him of taking away key tools to curb the spread of the virus, even though those tools — mask and vaccine mandates — have not made a demonstrative difference in restriction-heavy areas, which are also experiencing surges of the virus.

“Well, as most people know, our state leaders have been more interested really in stopping people from having to get the vaccine than they have in urging them to get it. So there’s very little we can do,” Gelber said, despite the fact that the governor and his administration have simply championed choice in terms of getting the vaccine — something Democrat leaders, such as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), have tried to take away from individuals by forcing vaccines upon workers and even children.

“There’s not a whole lot we can do in Florida because the legislature and governor have outlawed vaccine mandates and outlawed even mask mandates in certain areas by government and elsewhere,” Gelber complained.

When asked if DeSantis has made the pandemic worse in Florida, the Democrat mayor pounced.

“There’s no question that by deciding that, you know, we’re trying to get herd immunity by letting the herd catch the virus has just lengthened the virus. It allowed these variants to sort of come back. I don’t think there’s any question that Florida has handled it poorly,” he continued, ignoring the fact that Florida has seen tremendous economic growth thanks to the absence of government restrictions and the administration prioritizing personal liberty, giving Floridians the choice to get the shot or not:

Gelber also suggested that DeSantis’s administration is championing “not taking” the vaccine rather than urging individuals to take it. In reality, DeSantis has simply stood by his position that it should be an individual’s choice — not the choice of an employer or government.

“And that’s sort of nuts to me because, you know, that’s the golden ticket out of this, and for some reason, we’ve made it a political statement when frankly we require vaccines of children in schools,” Gelber continued.

“We do a whole lot of things to tell people they’ve got to protect themselves and others, but for some reason, this has become a political statement. And there’s no question that making it a political statement is killing people and making them sicker,” he added.

While cases are on the rise in Florida, they are in restriction-heavy areas as well. Currently, Washington, D.C. has the highest daily average of coronavirus cases per 100,000, clocking in at 279, according to the New York Times’ coronavirus data tracker.

New York follows with 175 daily cases per capita. Notably, both blue, restriction-heavy areas are reporting greater numbers per capita Florida, which sits at 113 per capita. 

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