TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Wednesday afternoon to announce funding for more cybersecurity and information technology training opportunities.
Before stepping up to the podium to announce the $20 million that will be directed toward USF, DeSantis said this students standing on the stage behind him:
“You do not have to wear those masks. Please take those off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything.”
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FOX13 in Tampa reported that the students were from Middleton High School.
Some of the students laughed nervously and some took their masks off, while others kept their masks on.
“We’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater,” the governor continued. “So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”
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The governor has long opposed students having to wear masks; in July 2021, he signed an executive order called the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
The executive order later became law, with DeSantis saying decisions such as wearing masks should be left up to parents.
Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running against DeSantis for governor this year, accused him of bullying the students in the following statement:
“I can’t believe a grown man would bully high school students like that. He’s clearly unhinged. The governor talks a lot about freedom, but only if he gets his way. That’s not freedom, that’s dictatorial and unacceptable. This clip shows you who he really is. And it’s everything I’m not. Floridians deserve something new and someone new — someone who doesn’t bully high school students.”
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Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon, who represents the Jacksonville area, released the following statement:
“As a parent, I’m outraged at the Governor’s aggressive, confrontational, and blatant disregard for parental rights today. As a guest of the University, my kids would know better than to behave so rudely. These students should be free to protect their health and safety, likely under parental guidance, without the leader of the ‘free state of Florida’ bullying and intimidating them. For a promoter of parental rights and freedom, Governor DeSantis’ actions have consistently shown otherwise: no you can’t learn the truth, no you can’t say ‘gay,’ no you can’t choose whether or not to be a parent, and no you actually can’t stay safe if you want to.”
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Gov. DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw released the following statement about his remarks to the students:
“As the governor said, ‘you can wear them if you want’ but there’s ‘no evidence’ masks make any difference. That has been clear for a long time, and the data informed our state’s official guidance. Following Florida, the CDC has even stopped recommending mask wearing for most Americans.
“After 2 years of mixed messages and social engineering from health authorities and media, the governor wants to make sure everyone is aware of the facts and data now, so they can feel free and comfortable without a mask. If hundreds of politicians (including high risk seniors) can congregate without masks at the State of the Union, then young people should feel safe going mask free.
“Masks are optional in Florida universities, and this event took place at USF. Everyone who attended had the choice to wear a mask or not, like anyone else in the state, but we want to make sure all Floridians — especially young people, many of whom have been unduly pressured and coerced by schools and employers to wear masks — are informed about the lack of evidence for masks.”
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