Ron DeSantis doesn’t seem to be able to get over the fact that he reached his peak politically and is well into the gradual decline in political relevance. His latest effort to mimic MAGA is his version of its RFK Jr.-led MAHA movement, beginning with an attempt to make Florida the first state in the union to end all school vaccine mandates.
There was a brief moment during which slightly more level-headed right-wingers saw our governor as an alternative to another four chaotic years with Trump ahead of the 2024 Republican primaries. This was owed almost entirely to his Fox News-friendly “war on woke” antics and his race to ease COVID restrictions ahead of other states. Once on the big stage, however, he quickly lost his luster.
Wearing boots with 3-5 inch lifts and droning on in a nasal whine reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, donors quickly realized he possessed the charisma of a wet dishcloth. Trump didn’t even bother debating the other contenders for the nomination, and DeSantis’ unnecessary debate with California Governor Gavin Newsone demonstrated clearly that he would be no match for Donald Trump.
Rather than accept his fate, make a few bucks on the right-wing lecture circuit, and settle into a comfy career sitting on corporate boards or joining a lobbying firm like Ballard Partners, DeSantis seems to be living out some fantasy in which mimicking Trump revives his dead-end prospects, allowing him to compete to be the GOP’s post-Trump standard bearer.
He formed a Florida DOGE in yet another attempt to curb homerule and use the power of his office to punish mostly Democratic counties and cities for spending money on things related to combating climate change. He wasted hundreds of millions in emergency management funds to create an ill-fated, inhumane prison camp in the Florida Everglades. And now he’s risking the public health of our children in attempting to appease the anti-vax crowd that makes up a not insignificant portion of the MAGA coalition.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, who doesn’t even have Kennedy’s lack of a medical background to use as an excuse, was selected because he proved willing to tow the right-wing line regarding COVID. It’s no surprise that Ladapo is either quacky enough to mimic the HHS Secretary’s anti-vax positions or unprincipled enough to just carry the water for those who don’t believe that vaccines are an essential part of public health that have eradicated diseases and spared hundreds of millions from severe illness and death.
Ladapo said that every vaccine mandate "is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," while calling the rollback "the right thing to do." During a press conference on Wednesday, Ladapo asked, "Who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body?" We thought he was our state’s surgeon general, but we also knew he was a lackey who did what he was told, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
State statutes mandate that students be vaccinated against polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus, with exemptions for religious and medical reasons. DeSantis noted on Wednesday that eliminating those would require lawmakers to pass new legislation. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health could target four vaccines mandated under its own rules: chickenpox, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and the pneumococcal vaccine PCV 13/20.
DeSantis has more than a year remaining in his second term, and if he continues his efforts to prove to MAGA that he’s their guy, it is difficult to imagine how much additional damage he can cause to our state. Give up the Trump impersonation, Ron, stop wasting money on things like Alligator Alcatraz, and get to work on real problems our state faces, such as our property insurance crisis. Or is demonstrating effective leadership on real issues no longer a viable pathway to the GOP’s top tier?
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch is also the author of three novels and a short story collection available here. He can be reached at editor@thebradentontimes.com.
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hunthouse
Thanks Mitch,
Pressure must be applied to Gov. Kinky Boots, along with Mr. Boyd and the other folks kinda in uh………charge. Kinky Boots is the most insecure weirdo ever and now we have his wackjob buddy “Dr. Death” Lapado cutting access to the covid vaccine all for MAGA votes. However, MAGA remembers him as a loser.
I just tried to get my covid vaccine at Publix. It MIGHT be available the 18th. I will be calling Jimmy Boyd in the morning.
Thursday, September 4, 2025 Report this
rayfusco68
Insurance is a shared risk business. Health insurance premium rates should be increased for persons choosing to not be vaccinated since they now are in a higher risk category, by choice, for driving up the cost of care.
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
Cat L
Absolutely. And I can't help but think about the medical professionals who will be in harms way as they "let her rip" and communicable diseases rise. My friends and family in that field were severely traumatized during covid, and it would be a mistake to normalize that. Normalizing occupational PTSD is morally wrong, as well as impractical. In the long term, that could lead to fewer people entering the field, reducing access to care and raising costs.
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
RRICH69176
Let us hope our fellow citizens will come to terms that the "maga" way of thinking is in the least flawed if not insane. Wake up elected officials!
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
pattybeenutty
Please call Boyd, Robinson, Scott, and Moody about getting your COVID-19 vaccine. Is it true you may need a prescription from your doctor to get a COVID-19 shot in Florida?
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
jimandlope
Ron DeSantis is more than weird he is dangerous. This vaccination idea has no basis in reality as children have been vaccinated before starting school because it is necessary. Any parent of a school age child ( isn’t DeSantis one?) knows full well how quickly illness envelops a school. In proceeding with this charade he is endangering children and should be held accountable along with every idiot in the Florida legislature who sucks up to him by approving this. Jim Tierney
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
rjckeuka4
And you can put money on the fact that the DeSantis kids are vaccinated!! They may eat their fruits and vegetables, as Casey says one must to avoid those diseases...but bet on the fact they're vaccinated. And Mitch, you're spot on! DeSantis is a has been! Perhaps he could lead a second coming of the Know Nothing Party! Seems like the MAGA folks are ripe for that.
Friday, September 5, 2025 Report this
David Daniels
I agree 100% with this piece. But I love the comments just as well as they show people are waling up to what is being done to us at the state level. It is time that Manatee county takes the lead again in sending a strong message. These so called state representatives have been selling out home rule for years. Jim Boyd is a millionaire insurance company owner who votes to protect his business. Please register Republican and say Hell No Jim Boyd in the August Republican primary.
Saturday, September 6, 2025 Report this
misty
I think it was Mark Twain who said, "History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes."
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Report this