Opinion: Ron DeSantis dangerously blurs the line between state and private action
Ron DeSantis, who officially launched his presidential campaign last week, presents himself as a champion of individual freedom against overweening government. But as governor of Florida, DeSantis has repeatedly contradicted that stance by blurring the line between state and private action, a distinction that is crucial to protecting civil liberties.
That law also barred school districts from imposing mask mandates. But DeSantis did not stop there: He pushed legislation “permanently prohibiting COVID-19 masking requirements at businesses.” DeSantis’ insistence on overriding those private decisions belies his description of Florida as an “oasis of freedom” with a “business-friendly environment.” When it comes to vaccination and masks, he recently told John Stossel, Florida has “consistently sided with the individual,” which is accurate only if you ignore individuals whose business policies DeSantis does not like.
A Florida law that required social media platforms to carry messages from political candidates met a similar fate. Although DeSantis presented that mandate as a response to “Big Tech censors” who discriminate against conservatives, three Republican-appointed judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously concluded that it was squarely at odds with the editorial discretion protected by the First Amendment.
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