![]() ![]() DeSantis was credited with much of the success. On top of that, Republicans gained supermajorities in the state legislature. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion, and the entire Cabinet. ![]() For the first time since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, Florida Republicans won both U.S. A poll released by the University of South Florida in April 2022 found that 60 percent of Floridians said they were “very” or “somewhat satisfied” with Florida’s handling of the pandemic.ĭeSantis and Florida Republicans saw their biggest victory yet in the 2022 midterms as Republican candidates across the country floundered. But in hindsight, many Floridians appear to have been happy with the state’s handling of the crisis. The governor faced criticism for not implementing an order sooner or enacting more restrictions.ĭeSantis’s approval ratings went up and down as Floridians navigated the unknown nature of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report from NPR released the same day that Florida’s stay-at-home order went into effect, over 30 other states had enacted lockdowns before Florida. The governor then imposed a stay-at-home order on April 1, 2020, which was considerably later than other states. “People moving to Florida are not the ones that you think are moving to Florida, they are people that have similar views aligned to you guys because that’s why they’re moving to Florida.”ĭeSantis had just completed his first year in office during the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 when he declared a state of emergency. “He was a huge reason why, because all of our Republican friends in New Jersey and New York and Connecticut, they were all big advocates for DeSantis,” she said. Tedesco said that DeSantis was “absolutely” a reason she decided to move to Florida, in addition to what she said were other perks, like the tropical climate and no state income tax. Only about 23 percent registered as Democrats.Ī file photo from a DeSantis news conference held in March 2020. Data vendor L2 found that 46 percent of the almost 400,000 voters who moved to Florida during the pandemic registered with the GOP. Meanwhile, data suggests a good portion of these arrivals helped contribute to the state’s rightward tilt. And in 2022, Florida became the fastest-growing state for the first time since 1957, according to the Census Bureau. found more people moved to Florida than any other state in 2020, followed by Texas, California, and Colorado. “What they found was a lifestyle and a political atmosphere and a culture that just agreed with them a lot more than where they came from.”Īccording to Florida’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, more than 300,000 people moved to Florida between April 2020 and April 2021. “What happened was you had anyone who could relocate to a place that was open like Florida did,” said Sal Nuzzo, senior vice president at the Florida-based, free-market think tank The James Madison Institute. Long a hot spot for retirees and those searching for a warmer climate and generally lower taxes, Florida - seen as an “open” state during the height of the pandemic - drew swaths of Americans seeking a return to the normalcy of a pre-coronavirus world. Ron DeSantis (R) and turning the state into a popular destination for Americans opposed to lockdowns and public health restrictions. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a five-part series called “How Florida got so conservative.”įlorida’s coronavirus pandemic policies have accelerated the state’s shift to conservatism by emboldening Gov. ![]()
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