Posted on 04/21/2023 8:40:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Throughout the pandemic conservatives (and even disaffected Democrats and independents) vacationed in and moved to the “Free State of Florida” in record numbers, attracted to relatively affordable housing and, well, freedom. Donald Trump spends the vast majority of his time there, escaping the New York winters, over-taxation, and politically-motivated, unscrupulous prosecutors. But according to an email he sent out Friday, the state is a hellhole.
Atop the email was this statement from Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign spokesman.
“The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair. He has left a wake of destruction all across Florida and people are hurting because he has spent more time playing public relations games instead of actually doing the hard-work needed to improve the lives of the people he represents.”
Then the main portion of the email begins:
While Ron DeSantis engages in a weeks-long shadow campaign for president boasting his playbook, Florida continues to tumble into complete and total delinquency and destruction.
Thousands of people from places like New York, Michigan, Illinois, and California moved to Florida during the pandemic, many of them Republicans. Though the Miami area was hit with an unprecedented rain event last week and has been suffering from gas shortages as a result, it isn’t likely that those new Floridians will see that as a signal that the state is tumbling into “complete and total delinquency and destruction.” And, that characterization could lead to eyerolls from conservatives still stuck in places like San Francisco or Philadelphia or St. Louis that truly have tumbled into total delinquency and destruction.
Before listing numerous categories in which Florida resident Trump contends his state is the worst, he states:
On DeSantis’ watch, Florida has become one of the least affordable states to live in the country.
In his first term as Florida governor, Ron DeSantis raised taxes on Floridians by more than $1.5 billion.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that a Floridian making $10 an hour must work 86 hours per week just to afford rent on a modest single bedroom home in Florida.
The cost of living in south Florida shot up 10% in just the last year alone, the highest increase by far in years, while the national average was only 6.5%.
Home prices skyrocketed in Miami by 32% last year, and by 34% in Tampa.
According to a 2023 SmartAsset study, the Orlando metropolitan area was the 10th most expensive to live comfortably in the nation. Miami closely followed, as the 12th most expensive metropolitan area and Tampa also made the list, as the 16th most expensive.
Then, he hits DeSantis on high gas prices and recent shortages in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
While nearly half of the gas stations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale are without fuel, those Floridians lucky enough to find a gas station with fuel will be paying a stiff premium.
Florida ranks in the 10 most expensive states in the continental United States for fuel prices, and in 2023, Florida imposed a new hike on fuel purchases.
I haven’t clicked every link and read every piece of data the email links to as backup (and at least one Substack linked to is down, probably because of the amount of traffic directed to it), so I make no assessment of the claims. The link to the justification for the claim of a massive tax hike doesn’t work, but I am especially interested in reading more about that because it’s at odds with things DeSantis says in his speeches.
Undoubtedly, Ron DeSantis’ spokespeople will have rebuttals of the email’s contents. I’ll preview what I think they might be.
First, Trump has praised DeSantis over the years, and since leaving office has talked about about how great it was to live in Florida and specifically praised DeSantis.
Second, given the number of people who moved to Florida in the past three years – some of them sent there by their employers who left California – it’s reasonable to see home prices increase rapidly and not anything any government official has much control over. And DeSantis supporters will likely point to the fact that Trump didn’t stand up to Fauci and Birx and blue state governors who kept millions of Americans under unjustified and ineffective “state of emergency” orders, which arguably contributed a great deal to the exodus to Florida and the resulting price increases.
Third, the fuel shortages in the Miami area are due to severe flooding at terminals at Port Everglades and, according to officials, panic buying is exacerbating the problem. Still, State of Florida emergency officials on Tuesday announced that they’re sending 500,000 gallons of gasoline to ease the pain, and said that delivery delays continue to decrease.
The point of me listing these anticipated defenses isn’t to prop up DeSantis or to slam Trump. Especially with this week’s revelations regarding whistleblowers and election interference and Alvin Bragg, Trump has solid arguments to make to Republican primary voters about why he should be the 2024 nominee. Choosing to send a melodramatic email telling Floridians and all of the people who moved there during the pandemic how terrible their home state is, using some fairly easily disputed points, doesn’t seem like the best tactic.
I am. I would advise Trump to attack RDS more viciously and secure the nomination.
Policies is blood sport.
I don’t know or much like Desanctimonius. I wanted him to win in 2018 because he’s one of the people Trump went to bat hardest for and it was a test of Trump’s strength as President. Beyond that my knowledge of DeSantis has been to see that he is aligning himself with Trump’s enemies to take down Trump. I don’t have any allegiance to Desanctimonius. If he wanted to run third party I’d bash him like I badh him now because to me he represents those who want to take down Trump and nothing more.
The Marxist left loves this petty squabbling, even if it is so very one-sided. They can't get enough of it. That right there is grounds to cease and desist.
Miami and Tampa ranked 11 and 12 respectively as far as population density, with Miami being ranked 10th overall in USA big cities. Orlando is also a larger metro than many states have, but did to it’s sprawling nature, is not very dense. But it’s still very blue. Anyway, point is, having three metro areas that large, and still be the reddest state in the nation, speaks for itself.
Jacksonville is the largest city in the southeast United States.
Yes! Trump is thin skinned!! I admire Trump not for his smooth personality of a career politician, but for his many spectacularly conservative deeds, the MOST important being staying out of foreign wars.
USA is screwed by Vietnam, Iraq, Afghan & now Ukraine wars.
BILLIONS squandered and blood spilled, WITH NOTHING TO SHOW for it. Add up the Trillions spent in foreign wars. Without those the national debt would be so much smaller.
And building the wall on southern border was another huge initiative to keep welfare dependent millions of illegals away. Add up the cost of millions of illegals Biden has allowed in welfare dollars and crime.
The 3rd most important thing Trump did was try to check the huge trade imbalance with China. Add up the millons of middle-class manufacturing jobs sent to China and it boggles the mind. Manufacturing is the biggest national wealth creator. China has gone from mass poverty to largest economy in world (measured by buying power) in short 3 decades. Now China owns all mines in Africa and companies all over the world. You will be shocked to discover how many items we use everyday are made in USA by companies owned by China.
Name me ONE US president who accomplished anything even close to Trump. Reagan was the most ignorant by helping China into WTO and most favored nations status.
So, I can overlook childish behavior by Trump. I look at the BIG picture.
The this skinned people I was referring to are the posters on FR.
Whether you care to admit the truth of it or not, Trump's needless insults and statements did damage his election in 2020 -- I know because I saw it happen with my own eyes, much to my surprise. But here he is doing it again, and getting cheered on for it... again.
No one can change his personality in late 70’s.
I accept his childish personality mixed with genuine MAGA agenda, which no one else comes to even close.
Same goes for DeSantis. I see no gods here. Only men. That includes ourselves.
Trump way out of line.
I wish Trump would hire you as a consultant.
Heh. I'd gladly do the work pro bono. The stakes have never been higher.
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