Florida becomes epicenter of COVID-19 surge

Florida’s newfound status as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. has thrust the state into crisis mode as officials battle over the best way to curb the outbreak.

On Tuesday, Florida hit 11,515 hospitalizations due to COVID-19, marking the third straight day it has broken its record. About 2,400 patients are now in intensive care. The state now accounts for roughly one in five new cases nationally.

At the same time, there’s concern among experts that the Sunshine State is still weeks away from hitting its peak.

Still, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising Republican star who won accolades from conservatives last year for his laissez faire approach to the pandemic, has resisted calls for new mask mandates or lockdowns, arguing that such restrictions had worsened the public health and economic effects on other states.

DeSantis and the Republican-controlled state legislature have also sought to preempt county and local governments from imposing their own rules, drawing backlash from local officials.

“We’re not allowed to have mask mandates now,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in an interview on CNN this week. “We were one of the first cities to require it and we charged a fine just to get people to do it. The governor stopped allowing us to do it and then immediately we saw a surge across our county and state when he did that.”