Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on Florida lawmakers to permanently enact a number of bans on COVID-19 related mandates in the state.
DeSantis announced his proposed legislation earlier this week at a news conference in Panama City Beach, where he shared the stage with a local dermatologist known for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter.
The governor鈥檚 proposal would make permanent a number of temporary measures that the Republican-controlled Legislature passed during a 2021 special session.
Those measures are set to expire June 1, including bans on mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools, COVID-19 passports and employers making hiring or firing decisions based on someone鈥檚 vaccine status.
Guests:
- , WUSF and Health News Florida health reporter
, founding member of Doctors Fighting COVID
Is Florida doing enough to protect its natural resources?
In his inauguration speech at the start of his second term a couple of weeks ago, DeSantis said his administration had ushered in a 鈥渘ew era in stewardship for Florida鈥檚 natural resources.鈥�
DeSantis said he鈥檇 promoted water quality and touted $2.5 billion promised in his first term for Everglades restoration. Two weeks ago he pledged another $3.5 billion.
While DeSantis has garnered praise from some environmental advocates for channeling more money into Everglades restoration, others say he comes up short on environmental issues. They accuse him of 鈥済reenwashing鈥� and say they want DeSantis to do more to combat climate change. Meanwhile, many of the state鈥檚 waterways are in poor health. A new study puts Florida at the top of the list for the most polluted lakes in the country.
Guests:
- , CEO of the Everglades Foundation
- Jenny Staletovich, SA国际传谋 reporter
- , WUSF reporter
- , WMFE reporter
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