In listing the attributes of an elected state leader, “cruel” is not a word we want to see.
But look at the latest headlines featuring Gov. Ron DeSantis — in stories about rejected federal money that would have kept hungry kids fed while school’s out, or Florida’s failure to care about the workers sweltering in brutal heat — and one song title comes to mind: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
It fits, all too well. Florida workers and children don’t deserve this. While DeSantis is not on the ballot this fall, his record should be.
Heat with no heart
You don’t have to be an expert in climate science, Florida politics or air conditioning to know that we’re living through one of the most miserably hot summers on record, with “feels-like” heat indexes in the 105-110 range and communities scrambling to find ways to protect vulnerable populations.
Yet the backbone of Florida’s economy — farm laborers, theme-park employees, construction workers, landscapers — have almost no official protection from the blazing sun, though they have begged lawmakers for years to provide modest protections, including training to spot signs of life-threatening heat stress, access to drinking water and breaks when the temperature is most brutal.
A few years ago, legislators heard a bill that would answer some of those pleas. This year, they veered viciously in the other direction. Last year, the Miami-Dade County Commission considered a heat-protection ordinance that would have provided similar minimal safeguards. That got Tallahassee’s attention.
On its last day, the Legislature passed HB 433, which blocked any local heat-protection ordinances.
A pro-business agenda
Not only did lawmakers refuse to help workers, they made sure cities and counties were helpless to enact protections as well. As the blog Seeking Rents and others have documented, lawmakers acted at the behest of business interests, sheltering them from the mandate to save their own workers’ lives. DeSantis signed HB 433 quickly.
There is ample testimony of a surge in heat-related emergency room visits and fatalities in recent years. Does DeSantis care? Apparently not.
One glimmer of hope is that the Biden administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finally proposed a rule on heat safety this month. (Prior to this, there were no heat protections at the federal level either, just suggested guidelines.) Relief can’t come quickly enough.
School’s out, children suffer
A year ago — the same month Miami-Dade officials considered their heat-protection ordinance — someone on the campaign trail asked DeSantis what he thought about school lunches. His answer was rambling and nonsensical, starting with the screed “What I don’t want to do, though, is have the federal government come and try to force you to make choices.”
Floridians came to realize that the choice he was talking about was this: Should kids get to eat or not? He was firmly on the side of “not.” Recent figures show that at least 30% of families with children struggle at times, most often in summer, to provide enough nutritious food for everyone in a household.
Yet Florida rejected $248 million in federal aid that would have provided food for hungry children missing the school breakfasts and lunches that provided their best source of nutrition. It’s too late for this year, but Florida has until mid-August to accept or reject the money for 2025.
This shouldn’t be in question, but it is.
From God’s ears to your vote
If you’re a praying person, now’s a good time to ask that the hearts of DeSantis and others be moved to relent. Pray that the governor examine the emergency powers he has so often abused, looking for leeway to protect workers striving, sickening and dying in blistering heat. Pray that the governor and other state leaders ask what they would do if their families couldn’t afford the food to let their own children grow healthy and strong.
Then stand up. The governor may not listen to Taylor Swift, but he and those who so slavishly follow his lead should listen to you. Among the candidates who will be on this year’s ballot, several local lawmakers voted in favor of HB 433: Reps. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach; Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach; and Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point.
Ask them why. Let it be known that your vote won’t go to people who look the other way while children hunger or workers suffer. This year, cruelty is on the Florida ballot — and voters should reject it every chance they get.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Our editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members. Contact us by email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
