On September 25, 2020, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state will reopen its whole economy.
Under this new directive, restaurants would be allowed to run at full capacity and municipalities would be prohibited from shutting down businesses.
Back in July, the state was hit hard by the Wuhan virus, which compelled the government to delay the first stage of Florida’s reopening process.
The state is now in its Phase 3 of the reopening process, where the majority of restrictions on gyms, bars, and retail spaces have been lifted. Under the previous stages of Florida’s reopening, these venues were already operating at or close to full capacity. According to this reopening plan, cities and counties must justify any local restrictions that bring capacity under 100 percent.
“We’re not closing anything going forward,” DeSantis declared during a press conference.
According to an Axios report, the Sunshine State’s Wuhan virus case count has remained steady during the past week. In the last week, the daily case count averaged around 2,700 new daily cases.
Roughly 700,000 people have caught the Wuhan virus in Florida, and the death toll is over 14,000, per figures from Florida’s health department.
DeSantis has established himself as one of the best governors in America. Unlike many Republicans, DeSantis is willing to push the envelope and bring forward and sign legislation that conservatives desire.
For example, DeSantis has successfully signed occupational licensing reform and teacher carry into law. In addition, he has rejected nanny state measures to regulate people’s smoking habits by vetoing a bill that would have raised the state’s smoking age.
DeSantis’ decision to reopen up the Florida economy is one of the boldest moves made by GOP officials in the country. Most GOP governors have followed in the footsteps of their Democrat colleagues and have implemented some form of lockdown much to the chagrin of grassroots conservatives and hardworking small-business owners.
The Florida Governor, on the other hand, has broken the mold. Hopefully, more governors emulate DeSantis and start reopening up their economies.
