a
common trope from supporters of the likely presidential run of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is that he stopped COVID lockdowns in his state during the height of the pandemic while President Donald Trump was pushing them from the White House.
But the record shows that this is not what occurred. DeSantis used his authority as governor to enforce lockdowns, shuttering businesses, and use the power of the state to punish noncompliance with his edicts.
Video from June 2020 shows DeSantis threatening bars with revoking their liquor licenses unless they abided by his arbitrary restrictions enacted supposedly in the name of science:
For the folks who continue to insist that Florida was not locked down and, if it was, it was only for a couple weeks, here is @GovRonDeSantis in June of 2020 threatening Florida bars with losing their liquor licenses if they didn't follow pandemic restrictions. pic.twitter.com/CwyTuoIAkU
— SFDB (@sfdb) November 11, 2022
Additionally, pastors were arrested and thrown in jail because they held services during DeSantis’ lockdown. The DeSantis administration grotesquely infringed upon religious liberty and made a mockery of the 1st Amendment during the pandemic:
