Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ plans to launch another taxpayer-funded political lawsuit, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement:
“Let me be clear: I have never supported mandates, or telling people what to do with their bodies. What I have always supported is empowering and allowing local governments and businesses to enact the policies that are best for their communities, constituents, companies, and customers as they did when they helped us get through the initial wave of the pandemic.
“We are in this position due to a failure of leadership from Governor DeSantis who has been providing a platform for conspiracy theorists and extremism by denying the efficacy of vaccines and science-based public health policies. The Governor himself is now trying to enact his own mandates to block businesses, local governments, and school boards from protecting their own constituents. Once again, Governor DeSantis is putting his personal ambitions ahead of the well-being of Floridians.”
