Over the weekend, Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to the Majority conference showcased several conservative speakers and activists, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who highlighted how his state tackled COVID while maintaining everyone's freedoms and rights. The conference, which was forecasted to have about 3,000 attendees, featured guest speakers such as Vice President Mike Pence, Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Lindsey Graham.
According to CBN News, Gov. DeSantis took to the stage to address the public and share his thoughts on how Florida beat COVID. He recounted how he "made the decision that Florida was going to lift people up" in the midst of other states shutting down and locking people up in their own homes in the face of COVID.
Gov. DeSantis highlighted how Florida was the "only large state in this country" to have enabled "100% of our parents" to send their kids to school "in person" despite the COVID pandemic. He also admitted that he was "proud that I made it a policy of the state, regardless of what any local government thought, that everybody has a right to work and earn a living and every business has a right to operate and continue with their livelihood."
Following a slight surge in new cases in April, Florida has in fact seen a continued decline in COVID cases in the last eight weeks. Overall, it recorded 2.31 million cases and over 37,500 deaths, compared to California's 3.81 million cases and over 63,000 deaths despite having strict lockdown measures. In Florida, 44% of the entire population, or 9.47 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID, as per Google's most recent statistics.
"Ultimately, Florida chose freedom over Faucism and we are better off for it," Gov. DeSantis declared. He also reminded the audience, which was composed of conservatives and conservative activists, that they have the duty to "advance policy that elevates the freedom of an individual over the freedom of an organization."
"People need to be taught why America was founded, why there are principles that made our country unique," Gov. DeSantis urged the crowd. "People need to be taught that our rights don't come from the government. They come from God."
Susie Wiles, a Republican strategist who helped former President Donald Trump win Florida during the 2020 Presidential Elections, believes that Gov. DeSantis' is strategically working towards a re-election in November of 2022. Going against the grain and refusing lockdowns, supporting people's rights, and passing legislation to keep riots out of Florida with an "anti-riot" law made the governor someone who had a unique way of dealing with current issues.
"The governor's priorities certainly got through, and that can only be good for him," Wiles told the Associated Press. "What is good for him has proven to be good for the state, which in turn makes his fortunes good going into reelection next year."
Gov. DeSantis is slowly but surely winning over Florida citizens. The AP VoteCast poll in May showed that 49% of Florida residents approve of his performance as governor. According to Politico, a similar poll conducted on behalf of the Florida Chamber of Commerce showed his approval job approval rating at 55% compared to another poll done for Sen. Annette Taddeo, which showed Gov. DeSantis with a job approval rating of 53%.
