FL Gov. Fights Back After CDC Kills Anti-Vax-Passport Law
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appears ready to brand himself as the anti-government-hysteria candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and he’s using the coronavirus pandemic to reiterate this reality.
DeSantis has not only pardoned Florida residents who’ve been accused of breaking health guidelines pertaining to the virus, but he has also made it illegal for private companies in Florida to require that their customers prove their vaccination status.
That law, in particular, has now been effectively nullified by a court ruling that allows cruise lines to follow CDC guidelines over the Florida guidelines.
DeSantis and crew are now appealing that ruling.
A late-night order from a federal appeals court Saturday dealt a major setback to Florida’s effort to lift restrictions the federal government imposed on the cruise ship industry in order to prevent outbreaks of the coronavirus.
A panel of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to stay an order a federal judge in Tampa issued last month blocking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework for allowing cruises to resume. The cruise business was abruptly shuttered by federal order in March 2020 following a series of mass infections aboard large ships.
The appeals court’s one-page order, issued just before midnight Saturday, offered no explanation for the decision beyond saying the federal government had made “the requisite showing” to obtain a stay allowing the CDC rules to remain in effect. The panel did indicate that one judge dissented.
DeSantis, staying true to his aspirational ethos, has vowed to appeal the ruling, which many believe would violate the concept of states’ rights.