Despite the critics, DeSantis showing leadership during pandemic | Letter to the editor

Given that we live in hyper political times, I am amazed at how gracefully and patiently and sensibly Gov. Ron DeSantis is handling the COVID-19 crisis. He continues to look at all the options, weighing the benefits and costs (including losing liberties that we cherish) and make wise decisions for Florida and the Sun Coast.

He wanted our state to stay open as long as possible, and even though the media kept suggesting he “waited too long,” he clearly did not. The Founders would have been proud of him not using the government to force the closure of all churches and other places of worship. That was a principled stance and the right one.

The data for Florida is looking very favorable at the moment (as favorable as it can be in a pandemic with hundreds of people dying in Florida) with our state tracking well below the national average per million residents. We’ve tested the second most number of people, behind only New York. We appear to be ready with an abundance of beds and ICU units, but are setting up some field hospitals in selected locations just in case.

I’ve permanently lived in Florida for 15 years and was a snow bird for a decade before that, plus visiting since 1968 when my parents started coming here. I’ve been a small business owner and I’ve seen a lot of change. However, I have never seen anything like this crisis! Gov. DeSantis is doing a fantastic job of making tough decisions and balancing difficult choices.

The media hecklers will not give Gov. DeSantis any credit for his decisions. But he’s been right on the mark. All Floridians and Sun Coast residents, regardless of party affiliation, are better off for his leadership.

Steve Vernon

Lakewood Ranch