Florida’s Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner, Nikki Fried (D), used an appearance on MSNBC to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for his COVID response; Fried is rumored to be preparing to challenge DeSantis for his reelection bid in 2022.
Fried accused DeSantis of “going off on a rampage” earlier this week, when he vowed to sign an executive order banning the use of vaccine passports. The Biden administration is planning to spearhead the implementation of vaccine passports to require individuals to show proof of vaccination in order to attend public events, travel, and reenter normal life.
“It’s completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society,” DeSantis said earlier this week.
Fried voiced support for a mandate for the use of vaccine passports by “local and state businesses,” specifically the cruise industry, which is a dominating industry contributing to Florida’s economy.
?? @nikkifried comes out in favor of mandating vaccine passports for Floridians & against cruise ships sailing from Florida ports
— Joanna Rodriguez (@joannamrod) April 1, 2021
*Cruises accounted directly for $1.22 BILLION in FL onshore spending & 22K jobs, w/ a total impact of $8.49 BILLION & 154K+ jobs in 2018 https://t.co/3IbQAkWrX3
DeSantis called on the federal government to lift restrictions on the cruise industry, the “no-sail guidance” that has been in place for over a year. The industry’s shut down cost thousands of jobs and nearly one trillion dollars in lost revenue.
