A New Hashtag Is Taking Aim At Gov. DeSantis Recent COVID-19 Decisions In Florida

Social media continues to come after the Sunshine State. The latest trending hashtag is aimed at Gov. Ron DeSantis' latest decision to reopen Florida schools this fall. The trend follows back-to-back hashtags that place the state and the governor at the root of public unrest.

Originally started in late June, #DeSantisLiesFloridiansDie
has begun to pick up steam after an emergency order was issued, stating that schools in the state must reopen in August.

“There is a need to open schools fully to ensure the quality and continuity of the educational process, the comprehensive well-being of students and families, and a return to Florida hitting its full economic stride,” the order reads.

It specifies that schools are required to be open for at least five days a week and provide all services that are required by law, including in-person instruction and services for students with special needs.

Since the Monday, July 6 announcement, users on Twitter have since co-opted the hashtag to show their feelings about the decision.

"It's completely insane to risk our children's lives," tweeted one user, while another, who goes by the handle of MsLauraQueen, linked the pay raises DeSantis gave the state's teachers to the new order.

"DeSantis gave teachers a raise so he could sacrifice them to his Trump overlord," she wrote.

While most of the tweets were aimed at the state's recent decision to force school districts to reopen, others have tweeted about his failures to relieve the pressure of COVID-19 on the state's hospital system.

"DeSantis says schools must be open 5 days a week, yet he's not reporting how many hospitalized till now," tweeted one user.

Some are using the tag to lampooned the state's tattered unemployment system. "I am scared to go to work, but my $224 weekly unemployment only pays for 12 weeks," another user wrote. "I am 58 years old with an underlying condition."

#DeSantisLiesFloridiansDie is the latest hashtag Florida has acquired ever since the pandemic began. In April, #FloridaMorons was trending thanks to a surge in crowds once Jacksonville Beach reopened.

Just two weeks ago, DeSantis was on Twitter's radar with #DeSantisBetrayedFlorida, highlighting what many see as a lackadaisical response by the governor to COVID-19.

Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, Florida joined California and New York in the country's top five with massive new case totals.