DeSantis Blasted by House Democrats for ‘Not Speaking to the People’ in Inaugural Speech

The governor promised to keep fighting the so-called “woke” ideology, while Democrats blasted him for failing to address the real issues that families are struggling with, like rising rents, healthcare affordability, and skyrocketing prices.

In front of the steps of the historic Capitol and before 3,000 people, Gov. Ron DeSantis again proclaimed that “freedom lives” in Florida and called the Sunshine State a model for a nation crippled by a federal government that “looms over us and imposes its will.” 

During his inauguration in Tallahassee on Tuesday, the Republican reiterated his promise to fight the “woke mob” and claimed that “Florida is where woke goes to die.”

This garnered an immediate response from House Democrats. State Rep. Fentrice Driskell said DeSantis “wants to distract from his own failed record” and creates a fake “woke” boogeyman to battle, “but doesn’t really address real issues Floridians are struggling with like housing affordability and health care that doesn’t bankrupt families.” 

A Troubling Record

In fact, Democrats pointed out, Florida now ranks number one in the US in housing unaffordability; it is 41st in access to health care, ranks 45th in tax fairness, and under DeSantis’ watch, property insurance premiums shot up by 55% in the last three years. Hundreds of thousands of Florida’s poorest children could be among those left without insurance when the federal government lifts the public health emergency sometime this year.

More alarming to DeSantis’ critics, Florida ranks #2 in mass shootings across the nation, with guns the third-leading cause of death for Florida children ages 1–17, according to data provided by Giffords Law Center. 

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“[DeSantis] claims to support law enforcement and ‘law & order’ yet he proudly pushes an extremist NRA-backed Unregulated Carry that will mean thousands of hidden guns being carried by unlicensed people across the state. What could be more ‘soft on crime’ than making it easier for criminals to carry guns on our streets,” Rep. Driskell pointed out. 

When it comes to basic rights, Democrats pointed out that DeSantis’ SB 90 law creates major obstacles to voting by mail, curtails access to drop boxes, and makes it harder for Latinos, Black people, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents to vote. The governor’s 15-week abortion ban makes no exceptions for rape or incest, and his “Don’t Say Gay” law curtails students’ rights in the classroom. 

“The remarks made by the governor, namely stating that ‘freedom lives in the State of Florida’, is starkly juxtaposed to his stance on teaching the truth about our country in silencing the truth about Black history and stripping bodily autonomy and sovereignty from women. That’s not freedom,” Democrat state Rep. Ashley Grant said.

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The governor’s take that the federal government’s “inflationary spending binge that has left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer” also didn’t sit well with Democrats. “[DeSantis] brags about our state’s success without mentioning the record funding that came from the Biden Administration to stabilize our economy,” Driskell said.

Murkier Waters

The governor’s inauguration festivities included a candlelit dinner for donors who gave between $25,000 and $1 million to DeSantis’ coffers. But unlike four years ago, this year none of the donors or their donations have been disclosed.

“This is probably the first Florida governor to give an inaugural speech not speaking to the people of our great state and the challenges we all face, but directed at GOP primary voters and billionaire donors,” Driskell pointed out. 

All in all, DeSantis gave few hints about his priorities for the next four years. 

“No actual issues that every day families deal with — like housing affordability — were even mentioned […] There was no vision, or commitment to solve problems,” Democrat state Rep. Anna Eskamani said. 

To Florida Democrats, the verdict is clear. According to Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Cross, “Florida’s water is dirtier and sicker than when Gov. DeSantis first took office.”