Florida surgeon general slammed by GOP leader for putting life of lawmaker with cancer at risk

According to another report from Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo was harshly criticized by Florida State Senate leader Wilton Simpson -- a Republican -- for putting the life of an immunocompromised Democratic state senator at risk by refusing to wear a mask when meeting with her.

On Saturday, Jordan Sexton reported that Ladapo and two aides refused to wear masks when meeting with Sen. Tina Polsky (D) even after she told them she is just starting radiation treatment for breast cancer. During the meeting, Ladapo made light of the situation before finally leaving as instructed.

Now, according to Jordan Sexton, Simpson has stepped into the controversy and upbraided Ladapo for his actions.

"Simpson sent a memo to all members and Senate staff calling the incident 'disappointing' and said that it shouldn't take a cancer diagnosis for people to respect each other's level of comfort with social interactions during a pandemic," she wrote.

He continued, "What occurred in Senator Polksy's office was unprofessional and will not be tolerated in the Senate. While there is no mask mandate in the Senate, Senators and staff can request social distancing and masking within their own offices. If visitors to the Senate fail to respect these requests, they will be asked to leave."

Jordan Sexton noted that Simpson seemed to hint that Ladapo's nomination to be the new Florida surgeon general -- still to be voted upon -- now may be in jeopardy.

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