On Saturday, Florida announced that 4,049 people tested positive for COVID-19 Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to almost 94,000. The report set another single-day record as cases continue to rise in the Sunshine State, where more than 3,100 people have died from the virus since the pandemic began.
The newest report continues an upward trend of confirmed cases in Florida, as the state also continues to increase its amount of testing. On June 19 almost 34,000 tests were reported, and Florida reported that 12.3% of the new cases tested positive. In a troubling sign of the virus’s spread, cases have more than doubled over the past ten days.
During a press conference on Saturday, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis attributed the rise in cases to increased testing, but also acknowledged a troubling trend. “We’re seeing it spread in 20- and 30-year-olds faster than we would like to see, so we really want to send a message of doubling down on what we’ve been preaching since the start ... in terms of social distancing,” DeSantis said.
President Donald Trump talks to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, during a visit to Lake Okeechobee ... [+]
Florida is not alone in experiencing increased case numbers – Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, and several other states across the country are seeing a rise in cases, the spread of which is being attributed to multiple factors, including more relaxed social distancing practices, the recent wave of social protests, as well as the start of the summer holiday season. But for his part, Governor DeSantis believes that news reports about the increased number of cases, particularly among young adults, are being sensationalized by the press. “You’d think, the way it’s framed, that it’s some type of death sentence, but that’s not the reality of the situation,” DeSantis said during the Saturday press conference.
Yet as Florida increasingly finds itself as one of the epicenters of the pandemic’s spread in the United States, all eyes are on how DeSantis manages the large state’s response, as well as its shifting mood. Florida was one of the last states to put in place stringent shelter-in-place guidelines, and it was also one of the first to loosen them. But it is the recent trend of rising cases that has its citizens anxious. Additionally, as a state with a high number of senior citizens and individuals in long term care facilities, there is particular concern about the spread of the virus among older populations. To date, 1,653 residents or staff members of long-term care facilities have died from the coronavirus.
Beyond the implications for its residents' health, the way that Governor DeSantis manages the rise in cases has political implications not only for himself, but for the upcoming presidential election. Florida is a perennial battleground state, and was one of the keys to President Trump’s 2016 surprise election. With its 29 electoral votes, it will once again be a deciding factor in the outcome of the election between the President and his Democratic challenger, former vice-president Joe Biden.
Recent polling from Change Research shows Biden leading Trump by 50% to 43% among likely voters in Florida, with a substantial number of voters still undecided. The poll, measured between June 12-14, tracks other recent polling since April that consistently shows the President trailing his Democratic rival. While much can still change between now and November, the recent polling data suggests that the voters who helped seal Trump's election in 2016 will be much harder to win over in the coming months.
For his part, DeSantis is trying his best to help. After President Trump decided to move the Republican National Convention from North Carolina because of coronavirus concerns, the Florida governor appealed to Trump to move the convention south. Trump and the RNC acquiesced, and the convention is intended to be held in Jacksonville this August, possibly giving a boost of enthusiasm for critical swing state Republicans bracing for a tight race.
As Florida heads into what is expected to be a more active than normal hurricane season, the biggest incoming storm might be how the state responds to a growing number of coronavirus cases while also navigating a struggling economy and an anxious population. For now, DeSantis says he has no intention to require residents to wear face masks, nor does he currently plan to re-implement more restrictive social distancing requirements. But as cases grow, the pressure may be on DeSantis to do so, or risk an even greater public health crisis.
Florida played a deciding factor in last 20 years of presidential elections and it once again appears poised to play a determining factor in whether President Trump remains in office. But as the coronavirus cases continue to rise in the Sunshine State, the question remains – will they help sink a presidency?
The way in which Governor Ron DeSantis avoids disaster, and delivers results, may be the determining factor.
