DeSantis defends Florida COVID policy, says data guided school reopenings
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Summary
At a Chamber of Commerce event, Governor Ron DeSantis said he relied on studies and his own analysis to keep schools and businesses open during COVID-19 and argued the feared catastrophic outcomes did not materialize. He defended prioritizing in-person instruction and criticized the media narrative at the time.
Governor Ron DeSantis defended his administration's COVID-19 strategy onstage at a Chamber of Commerce event, saying he reviewed studies and contacted experts who "buck[ed] the narrative" before deciding state policy.
"I just watch what they do, and I do the opposite," DeSantis said, describing his approach to other governors' pandemic restrictions. He told the audience he prioritized policies that were "sustainable" and in the "best interest of the people," emphasizing reopening schools so children could attend in person while offering parents the option of virtual instruction.
DeSantis said the media and some public-health institutions amplified fear: "The media was telling them, you send kids to school, they're all gonna die," he said, and recounted what he called theatrical protests by teacher unions. He argued subsequent weeks showed the most dire projections did not occur and said that by studying data he grew confident of his course.
The governor framed the decision as a trade-off between public health guidance and social and economic costs. He said governors must "cut through" hysteria and choose policies they can sustain, adding that early analyses predicting hospital overruns did not materialize in Florida as forecast.
DeSantis acknowledged unpredictability during the 18-month period but maintained that prioritizing in-person schooling was vindicated by the outcomes he observed. He also said he sought to protect livelihoods and individual freedoms in making the choices.
The remarks were delivered in a conversational forum and did not include presentation of specific peer-reviewed studies within the event. DeSantis's account describes his administration's reasoning and experience; the governor's claims about outcomes and the accuracy of projections are attributed to him and were not independently verified in this session.
