Thread by @here_I_go_so

🧵THREAD: Evidence Governor DeSantis & his team worked TOGETHER with counties who were shutdown longer than the rest of #Florida & had mandates:

“I am working with them & will continue to work with them” - Governor DeSantis speaking of Palm Beach, Broward & Miami-Dade Counties before opening to phase 1

Of Palm Beach County, DeSantis says: “WE want to get them going, I think WE have a good path to do it, but it’s going to be on a little different timetable than the rest of the state”

“I want to get SE FL on the board…they’re close…and I’ll tell ya, they’ve done great leadership the administrators in Broward, Palm Beach, the mayors”

“I think WE are going to be able to get them there relatively soon, but that’s gonna be a collaborative process…” DeSantis says of moving Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach Counties to open.

“We’ve worked great together with them and we’re gonna continue to do that”
DeSantis says of working with the SE FL counties who were exempted from opening as the rest of #Florida did.

“…to ASK the Governor to move us into incremental or phased phase 2…I think his office is fine with that…I think he will look at this plan & determine if it’s feasible & he will not hesitate to share his thoughts with us”- County Administrator for Palm Beach County

“The Governor has to put us into Phase 2” - Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner

“The first one is, the COVID Education & Compliance Team, I have vetted this through the Governor’s Office…” -Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner

“Governor DeSantis and his agencies have worked daily with our county” - Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner

From Governor DeSantis’ Comms Director:

DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-70 closed beaches & venues in Broward & Palm Beach Counties.
“My administration has consulted with Broward County and Palm Beach County authorities” & then says the closures may be renewed by written request from county administrators.

DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-112 to open Florida into phase 1 excluded Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach Counties but it was written for those 3 counties “allowances for services and activities…of this order will be considered in consultation with local leadership”

Notice in this Executive Order Palm Beach County had to REQUEST from the Governor for him to write his own Executive Order giving the county permission to move into Phase 1.

DeSantis’ Executive Oder 20-139 required Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach counties to “seek approval with a written request from the County Mayor or if no mayor the County Administrator” in order to re-open the counties.

Again, the Palm Beach County had to ASK Governor DeSantis to re-open via written letter

Again, a news source indicating Palm Beach County had to ASK Governor DeSantis to re-open via letter.

Palm Beach County’s letter to Governor DeSantis asking him to allow them to re-open to phase 1:

Palm Beach County Commissioner McKinlay is mentioned in this news article saying it was Governor DeSantis’ decision to close the county & it was his ultimate decision to reopen the county:

“Palm Beach County leaders are awaiting word from Gov.
Ron DeSantis to see when he will let the
county join Phase Two of Florida's reopening plan.”

Palm Beach County’s letter to Governor DeSantis asking him allow them to open into phase 2:

Here is an email with Palm Beach County admins & attorneys written to Governor DeSantis’ Chief of Staff mentioning a conversation they had & a written request to withdraw them from going into Phase 2 opening:

On local mask mandates, DeSantis says “So we are not preempting any of that…I’ve told the Mayor you have to take the decisions that you think are gonna work well in Dade & we’ve encouraged him to do that”

DeSantis’ former Comms Director:

DeSantis’ own #Florida Department of Health Dr. Alonso advised Palm Beach County to Mandate masks: “I highly recommend that we go forward with the wearing of the masks as mandatory”

An email shows DeSantis’ Florida Department of Health Dr. Alonso emailing Palm Beach County Administrator Baker & Mayor Kerner ahead of the meeting to vote on mandatory masks attaching FL Surgeon General’s new advice to to wear masks in public:

The history of mask mandates in Palm Beach County & how they were able to be implemented until February 14, 2022 bec of loopholes in DeSantis’ Executive Order & FL law, which he & his staff were aware about:

floridajolt.com/moving-the-goa…

“I will overrule any mayor that gives you guys a hard time” #Desantis wrote in his book in reply to allow UFC fights in FL in April ‘20.
BUT he allowed Democrat Mayor of Palm Beach #Florida to keep businesses shut down for 6 mo. & mask mandates for nearly 2 yrs. then, hired him

“I will ensure that the event is able to go on without any problems from local politicians” #DeSantis wrote in his book speaking to a professional golfer about an event in May ‘20
MEANWHILE children’s playgrounds stayed closed in Palm Beach County #Florida until end of August!

#DeSantis wrote, “I was adamant that a mask mandate was not an appropriate use of government power.” Yet, his own #Florida Dept. of Health Doctor advised a mask mandate that went on for over 1 yr
“I highly recommend that we go forward with the wearing of the masks as mandatory”

Palm Beach County collected $24,500 in COVID-related fines from businesses under Dave Kerner’s COVID task-force, a force he said that he vetted through the Governor’s office & went after businesses. 27 businesses closed & 42 cases went to Hearing. DeSantis then hired Kerner.

DeSantis shut down counties by his own executive orders & he was ultimately in control of reopening.
“We’re offering our suggestions to the Governor, & he [the Governor] will ultimately choose how he wants this county to open” -Mayor Kerner of Palm Beach County (Sept. 1, 2020)

This is what Kerner said the Governor’s office approved, his police & code enforcement team who responded to snitch line calls over people not wearing masks & social distancing in public.