DeSantis accused of distracting voters from the 'festering problems in Florida' in scathing editorial

The Editorial Board of the Miami Herald issued a scathing piece Wednesday accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) of adopting a Donald Trump tactic to manipulate the public's attention away from real problems Floridians suffer under.

The Board explained that for the past year, Florida has been dealing with a lot of problems, outrageously high insurance costs, natural disaster screw-ups, home and rental prices, and the refusal to expand Medicaid. All of the key issues Floridians desperately need help with are dying on the altar of DeSantis' anti-woke agenda.

They began with the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill that barred teachers from lending a kind ear to kids questioning their orientation or identity and blocked them from even talking about their own families if they are LGBTQ. More recently, DeSantis picked a fight with the College Board for his attack on Advanced Placement African-American studies classes. Now he's going after all AP courses.

Then there's his war with Disney, one of the largest employers in the state, because they "had the temerity to push back against the governor’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. That special taxing district? It now falls under DeSantis’ control, after the Legislature did his bidding."

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They blasted it as an imitation of a "strongman." Whether you're raging against him or worshiping him on Sunday morning, the editorial board argued you're doing exactly what he wants.

"DeSantis, like Donald Trump before him, is practicing the dark art of manipulating our attention, throwing bombs to keep us riveted, even as other, far less sexy state problems remain unfixed, like property insurance," they argued.

The Editorial Board accused DeSantis of "too much spin. One minute he’s making it seem as though there’s a serious problem of children regularly attending drag shows (there isn’t) and the next he’s using our money to jet migrants from states (not his) to other states (again, not his) in a ridiculous overreach that generated a new round of headlines. It’s a wonder he doesn’t have motion sickness, he’s spinning so fast."

They argued that his biggest problem is that he's a Harvard-trained lawyer who knows that whatever he does will never be held up in court. So, he's essentially causing problems to score headlines and right-wing adoration while the state of Florida pays the legal fees.

"It’s a cynical calculation, that win-win," the board explained. "It relies on the mind-set that everything we’re talking about — the Legislature, the governorship, the expected run for the presidency — is a game. But it’s not. There are real victims of DeSantis’ politics."

Folks might not be fans of The Mouse, but students are suffering under DeSantis' war, they argued. "By giving so much light and air to DeSantis’ political gyrations, we let him draw attention from the many things he’s not doing. We let him control the narrative, making it one of fear and anger rather than actual policy discussions. There are real, festering problems in Florida that could benefit from the attention of our leaders, including him. "

Read the full column at the Miami Herald.