The Florida Doom Loop Isn’t Ending Any Time Soon
A state of disasters
Ron Desantis appears to enjoy traveling around and making commercials about how places governed by liberals are so awful. However, he seems to enjoy politicizing issues rather than solving them. In fact, some of the problems that are riddling his state (and Donald Trump’s) have been spiraling out of control. These are just a few of the serious problems Florida is facing:
Crime
Florida has had 25 mass shootings already this year and there have been 135 victims, per the Gun Violence Archive. Most recently, three people were killed in a racially motivated killing in Jacksonville. The shooter left behind three “manifestos of hate” and had swastikas drawn on his weapons which included an AR-15. Nazis have been rallying in Jacksonville and Orlando, flying Swastikas alongside Desantis flags. DeSantis has refused to condemn the Nazis, which has undoubtedly emboldened them.
Violence has not been limited to mass shootings. Florida has three cities with higher violent crime rates than San Francisco, including Miami, St. Petersburg and Orlando. Tallahassee’s violent crime rate is also more than twice the national average. In fact, Orlando’s rate is 26% higher.
Yet, Florida passed a law which went into effect on July 1, 2023, allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit. These types of laws in other states have led to increases in violent crime of between 10% and 15%.
Inflation
Nationally, inflation is running at 3.18%. Not in Florida. Per Yahoo News, Florida is a hotspot for inflation. The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area has recently had the highest inflation of any metropolitan area — over 9% for the year ended in April. Inflation in Florida is twice the national average.
Insurance
Per Bankrate.com, Florida’s insurance industry has been “tumbling toward collapse.” Florida, with only 7% of the country’s population, accounts for a whopping 79 percent of its home insurance lawsuits. Many of the claims have been fraudulent, and are orchestrated by roofing companies that visit homes, claim to find damage and participate in lawsuits against insurance companies for recovery.
Of course, Florida also has severe storms that regularly cause widespread damage. But risky states haven’t seen the increases Florida has. In fact, the average home insurance premium is $7,788/year — the highest in the nation. The insurance industry is suffering and over 30 insurance companies have reduced or eliminated their home coverage in the state in the last three years.
Climate
No level of hurricanes, floods, 100-degree water temperatures, or other climate related disasters seems to move the needle on climate change action in Florida. This is despite the need to protect 11 million acres of wetlands, more than 1,300 miles of coastline, and hundreds of freshwater springs.
In May, Ron DeSantis said he “rejects the politicization of the weather.” He stated: “I can’t control the climate. I’m not doing mandates on any of that.” Florida is a climate slackard, and is still using outdated energy efficiency guidelines. A DeSantis budget veto disqualified Florida from getting $346 million in federal funds to improve energy efficiency across the country.
In addition, Florida has yet to ban certain types of fracking, and has allowed oil drilling in numerous ecologically sensitive areas. It is indeed ironic that Florida — one of the states most impacted by global heating — is one of the least progressive on implementing legislation to reduce the amount of carbon being spewed into the atmosphere.
Policies
On a number of issues, Florida’s policies go directly against the wishes of their residents:
— Floridians support gun policy reforms like universal background checks, requiring a license for assault weapons and a mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases. 70% of Floridians are against the new law allowing concealed gun carry without a permit.
— When asked, “Do you support or oppose laws removing books mentioning gay and transgender people and history from public school libraries?” 48% of Floridians opposed it and only 42% supported.
— When asked “Do you support or oppose laws banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from colleges and universities?” 50% opposed and 39% supported.
Florida has so much to offer, but unfortunately is falling short in many critical areas. Perhaps Donald Trump and his spokesman have put it best: “The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair… He has left a wake of destruction all across Florida and people are hurting because he has spent more time playing public relations games instead of actually doing the hard-work needed to improve the lives of the people he represents.”
Trump emails have blasted the state of Florida for being “among the worst states” to live, work, raise a family, or retire.
