Governor Ron DeSantis is grappling with a Florida COVID spike as he repeatedly bucked public health experts to cater to his own political ambitions. Now, new polling shows that Floridians recognize DeSantis’ failed leadership — from opening the door to vaccine hesitancy, threatening the funding of cities that institute mask mandates, and undermining public health experts — has cost lives.

Florida Politics: Poll: Ron DeSantis approval rating sags as COVID-19 rages

• “DeSantis is now underwater with 49% of voters; only 44% approve of his job performance. The latest surge of COVID-19 might be catching up with Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
• “The poll also shows Floridians are not in agreement with DeSantis when it comes to his opposition to mask mandates for school children.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: DeSantis’ latest power grab goes too far and must be challenged | Editorial

• “DeSantis has gone too far with an order that prevents school districts and their elected leaders from imposing any mask requirements on students, and threatens to punish them if they do by taking away state money.”
• “No one should be more outraged about this power grab than members of the Florida Legislature, the people who appropriate the money that runs public schools.” 

Politico: Biden tells DeSantis to ‘get out of the way’ amid Covid surge

• “President Joe Biden criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday amid the state’s surge in coronavirus cases, saying he should ‘get out of the way’ of people who are trying to ‘do the right thing.’”
• “Florida now leads the nation in new infections, making up roughly one in five cases in America. Despite the increase, DeSantis has prevented cities and school districts from implementing mask mandates or other Covid restrictions.”

Miami Herald Editorial: We have four words of advice for Biden, who says DeSantis should mandate masks in Florida

• “The president had absolutely no patience with two Republican governors who are standing in the way of mask mandates that would protect their constituents from the delta variant of COVID-19, which has gone on a rampage. Biden’s demand: ‘Get out of the way!’”
• “He was admonishing… Florida’s own Gov. Ron DeSantis. Our irresponsible governor who mocks mask wearing as being, apparently, for wusses. Our bullying governor who threatens to cut vital funding if local officials even think of imposing mask mandates on public-school students… Our shrewd governor who’s funding his re-election campaign with drink koozies and T-shirts that mock Dr. Anthony Fauci. Our scapegoating governor who blamed reporters at a news conference in Miami for causing ‘hysteria’ by reporting the record-high number of hospitalizations in the state.”