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Top Three Takeaways – September 7th, 2021
- Florida’s fully recovered economically from the pandemic. No, the cruise industry isn’t anywhere near what it was before the pandemic. No, international travel isn’t either. Those examples make Florida’s economic recovery picture that much more impressive in context, in addition to providing future catalysts for growth as the pandemic eventually runs its course. Where this is coming from is Florida’s Revenue Estimating Conference. All throughout the pandemic Florida’s economy has dramatically outperformed expectations – including Florida’s own economists. This has now resulted in the state projecting the 2021-2022 fiscal year with higher revenue projections than existed prior to the pandemic. That’s remarkable for an economy national economists were warning would be one of the hardest hit in the country in the early months of the pandemic. Keeping Florida’s economy open was cited by the Conference as key, and Florida’s revenue projections have been raised by 4% for this fiscal year with anadditional3.2% boost next year. Those are great economic growth rates generally, especially with Florida’s economy having already recovered to prepandemic levels. As I’ve often said, Florida’s a great story that keeps getting better. Not even this pandemic could hold our state’s economy down - this is where great leadership is key with a governor who errors on the side of freedom and opportunity over lockdowns. Speaking of Governor DeSantis...
- I also don’t want two classes of citizens. Words from the governor on Friday as he said would protect individual freedom over corporate freedom. DeSantis made that statement as he said the state will move forward with fines of up to $5,000 for any business, school or government agency which demands proof of vaccination for service - effective September 16th. Quoting the governor again... It’s about your health and whether you want that protection or not. We have some people in our communities who just made the decision this is something that they’re not going to do. So what? You’re going to write them out of society? What’s most notable about this, especially in the context of the realm of racial politics commonly used as a weapon in our society these days, is who the governor is fighting for. Overwhelmingly minorities. Blacks are the least likely to be vaccinated followed by Hispanics/Latinos. While news media loves covering a BLM protest, something the news media hasn’t covered is who’s most protected by Governor DeSantis’s vow to not allow discrimination on the basis of COVID-19 vax status. Should minorities who opt not to vaccinate, commonly due to historical and cultural considerations, be denied service? Puts a different wrinkle on the conversation, doesn’t it? One news media conveniently isn’t covering. If the political shoe was on a different foot, we’d likely hear about how the refusal of service over vaccination status is racist. I don’t believe it is because I don’t believe race is a motivating factor for those who’ve chosen militancy over personal choice, but the facts remain, and the case could be made.
- Turning the corner. There are fifteen days of summer left. It’s increasingly looking like Florida’s summer surge of COVID-19 cases will leave along with it. The news has continued to improve with Florida’s trend for new COVID-19 cases, while still high, are sitting at their lowest levels in a month - while hospitalizations are rapidly declining as well - with about 4,000 fewer Floridians hospitalized with the virus today over just two weeks ago. Yes, the new talk is increasingly about Mu, and we won’t know what that will bring us until we get there – though that likely won’t be until the peak of traditional flu season this winter in Florida – but it’s clear Florida’s rapidly turning the corner on the summer surge of cases with the possibility, if not the historical likelihood, that the worst of the pandemic is now behind us.