BEHIND FOR THE GREENER PASTURES
HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
>> OUR OWN TERRY SANDERS HAS
BEEN COVERING THE PANDEMIC ALL
YEAR IN FLORIDA AND HE JOINS US
NOW FROM FORT LAUDERDALE.
LOOK, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, I
THINK, MISCONCEPTIONS THAT A LOT
OF FOLKS LIKE GOVERNOR DeSANTIS
AND OTHERS WHO RAIL AGAINST
QUOTE/UNQUOTE LOCKDOWNS IS THAT
A LOT OF OTHER STATES WERE A LOT
MORE OPEN THAN HE WANTED TO
CLAIM.
THEY JUST -- THOSE STATES HAD
MASK MANDATES AND THINGS LIKE
THIS.
BUT I GUESS LET’S START WITH
THIS, THE QUESTION’S GOING TO
BE, RON DeSANTIS VERSUS GAVIN
NEWSOM, FLORIDA VERSUS
CALIFORNIA, AND KERRY I KNOW
YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS IN
TERMS OF WHO GOT IT RIGHT.
WHAT’S THE ANSWER?
>> Reporter: WELL, WHEN YOU DO
THE COMPARE AND CONTRAST OF THE
TALE OF TWO STATES LET’S ONCE
AGAIN SHOW THE DIFFERENCE OF THE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IN FLORIDA
AND THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR IN
CALIFORNIA WITH WHAT THE
RESTRICTIONS WERE.
IN FLORIDA NO MASK MANDATE.
AS YOU NOTED IN CALIFORNIA MASK
MANDATE.
RESTAURANTS, FLORIDA, NO
RESTRICTIONS.
CALIFORNIA, CAPACITY
RESTRICTIONS.
AND THEN LET’S LOOK AT THE TWO
DISNEYS.
IN FLORIDA, DISNEY WORLD, OPEN,
IN FACT, NEXT WEEK DURING SPRING
BREAK ALREADY SOLD OUT.
IN CALIFORNIA IT IS STILL SHUT
DOWN.
SO IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THE
NUMBERS ON A PER CAPITA BASIS
YOU CAN SEE IT’S ALMOST THE SAME
IN TERMS OF COVID INFECTIONS.
WE HAVE IN FLORIDA ONE OUT OF
10.97 PEOPLE WHO HAD
CORONAVIRUS.
ONE OUT OF 10.93 WHO HAD IT IN
CALIFORNIA.
BUT THERE’S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK
AT IT.
THE L.A. TIMES LOOKED AT IT AND
SAID IF CALIFORNIA HAD HAD
FLORIDA’S VERSION OF VERY
RELAXED RESTRICTIONS, BASICALLY
NO RESTRICTIONS, THEN AN
ADDITIONAL 6,000 PEOPLE IN THE
STATE WOULD HAVE DIED.
BUT IF YOU REVERSE IT AROUND,
AND FLORIDA HAD BEEN UNDER
CALIFORNIA’S TIGHT RESTRICTIONS,
3,000 FEWER PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
DIED.
WE PUT THIS QUESTION ABOUT THE
NUMBERS TO A NON-POLITICAL
PERSON IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY,
DR. MARTY.
THIS IS WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY.
>> IF YOU JUST LOOK AT THE
ACTUAL NUMBERS THAT -- YOU
CANNOT MAKE THE CASE THAT WE ARE
BETTER THAN CALIFORNIA.
UNFORTUNATELY NOT.
>> BUT THE GOVERNOR’S BEEN DOING
THAT.
HE’S BEEN SAYING FLORIDA DID IT
RIGHT.
DIDN’T SHUT DOWN.
CALIFORNIA AND OTHER STATES SHUT
DOWN, AND LOOK AT THE SUCCESS IN
FLORIDA.
BUT YOU’RE SAYING THE NUMBERS
SAY SOMETHING ELSE?
>> I’M JUST GIVING YOU THE RAW
NUMBERS.
AS THEY ARE THESE ARE THE VALUES
FROM THE CENTER FOR DISEASE
CONTROL, AND YOU’RE LOOKING AT
TWICE OUR POPULATION, BUT NOT
TWICE THE CONFIRMED CASES, AND
NOT TWICE THE CONFIRMED DEATHS.
AND A LOWER TESTING POSITIVITY.
SO --
>> A LOWER TESTING POSITIVITY --
>> THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS, THOSE
ARE THE REAL NUMBERS.
>> SO THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC
HEALTH DEBATE BUT ALSO A
POLITICAL DEBATE AND CHUCK, YOU
KNOW IT BEST, SO MUCH OF THE
POLITICAL DEBATE HAS BEEN OVER
THE ECONOMY WHERE SHUTDOWNS WERE
A HUGE ECONOMIC CRUSHING
SITUATION.
AND POLITICAL DECISIONS WERE
MADE.
>> BUT KERRY, I THINK THERE’S
ONE OTHER THING I’D INTRODUCE
INTO THIS COMPARISON.
THE MAJOR METRO AREAS IN FLORIDA
DID TRY TO HAVE TOUGHER
STANDARDS THAN THE GOVERNOR
WANTS
WANTED, WHETHER MIAMI DID, PALM
BEACH, BROWARD, ORANGE COUNTY.
HOW WOULD THAT HAVE FACTORED
INTO THIS COMPARISON?
>> Reporter: BECAUSE THERE ARE
SO MANY VARIABLES, YOU ARE
CORRECT.
I’M IN BROWARD COUNTY, I SEE
PEOPLE WALKING HERE WITHOUT
MASKS BUT THERE ARE STILL
SUGGESTIONS TO WEAR MASKS HERE.
BUT JUST THIS WEEK THE GOVERNOR
OF FLORIDA HAS SAID THAT THE
COUNTIES LIKE BROWARD THAT HELD
BUSINESSES RESPONSIBLE AND FINED
THEM FOR BREAKING THE LOCAL
RULES, THAT THOSE FINES WILL
NEVER BE COLLECTED.
THE STATE HAS RULED THERE WILL
BE NO FINES.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTIES
GAVE THEM FINES THEY DON’T HAVE
TO PAY THEM.
IT’S FREE AND CLEAR.
AND AS YOU KNOW SOME PEOPLE JUST
IGNORED THE COUNTY RULES AND
MOVED FORWARD, EVEN THOUGH THERE
WERE INSPECTORS AND POLICE WHO