Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is defending areas like Jacksonville and Duval County that decided to reopen beaches.
Criticism of the move was swift and harsh, with #FloridaMoron trending on twitter alongside pictures of people on beaches. DeSantis says Florida’s coronavirus infection and death rate are lower than state’s like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“So, my hat’s off to Mayor Curry and the people of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida for doing a great job. For those who try to say you’re morons, I would take you over the folks who are criticizing you any day of the week and twice on Sunday,” he said.
Other cities and counties have started reopening their beaches to walking and other recreational activities. Many of the reopenings come with limits on operational hours, and disallow sitting, picnicing and camping out.
DeSantis has set a Friday deadline for a task force to make recommendations on how to reopen industries and businesses that closed due to the pandemic.
