Cruise Ships Cower to DeSantis, Another Win for Freedom!

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis says his state has done so well because they didn’t follow Fauci- they followed FREEDOM!

And the actions of DeSantis certainly speak louder than his words. 

In April, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, backed by DeSantis, filed a lawsuit against the CDC to stop the government overreach negatively affecting his state of Florida.

The lawsuit challenges restrictions imposed by the CDC that have halted cruise ships.  

DeSantis also issued an executive order fining businesses $5,000 for requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccinations, PER incident.

The Governor has cited huge privacy issues from people handing over medical information to large corporations. 

Now, his executive order is a permanent law in Florida!

I was proud to sign landmark legislation & 2 executive orders to protect individual liberties. SB 2006:
✔️Bans Vaccine Passports
✔️Prohibits Indefinite Lockdowns
✔️Ends Local Restrictions on Small Businesses
✔️Bolsters Emergency Preparedness for Future Public Health Emergencies pic.twitter.com/R2YpxZJd8i

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 3, 2021

And as of this week, it appears the cruise ships have bowed to DeSantis.

Royal Caribbean International will no longer be requiring vaccine passports to board their cruise ships in Florida. 

Patriots and freedom are winning HUGELY!

Here is more on the story from the Miami Herald: 

Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to.

In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements and vaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.”

The about-face is an apparent submission to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has insisted that there will be no exception made for cruise companies to a newly passed Florida law that fines companies $5,000 each time they ask a patron to provide proof of vaccination. Royal Caribbean International’s sister brand Celebrity Cruises (both owned by Royal Caribbean Group) is still requiring all passengers 16 years old or older be vaccinated on its seven-night Caribbean cruises that are restarting from Port Everglades on June 26.

Lyan Sierra-Caro, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International, said the plans to require passengers be vaccinated that the company submitted to the CDC only applied to its test cruises. According to CDC rules, cruise ships that don’t meet certain vaccination thresholds for passengers and crew must first do a successful test cruise before they can restart revenue cruises.

“Our intention is to comply with all federal, state and local laws,” she said via email.

On May 26, the cruise line updated its website to say that passengers 16 years old and older on its cruises from Seattle and The Bahamas are required to be vaccinated. Previously, the website said passengers 16 years old and older on all of the company’s U.S. cruises had to meet the requirement.

In a statement CEO Michael Bayley thanked DeSantis and other elected officials for their support of the industry, which has been paralyzed since it was forced to shut down in March 2020 after COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths on several ships.

“As of today, 90% of all vacationers booking with Royal Caribbean are either vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated in time for their cruise,” Bayley said in a statement. The company said all crew members will be vaccinated.

The recently passed Florida law crafted by the Republican-controlled state Legislature and promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis bars businesses, schools and government entities across Florida from asking anyone to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. Under the law, which takes effect on July 1, businesses can be fined up to $5,000 per violation.

It is unclear if cruise companies will be allowed to ask passengers if they have been vaccinated as part of the boarding process, even if they don’t require vaccination to board.

The summer cruises announced by Royal Caribbean International Friday are still pending approval from the CDC after each ship successfully completes a test cruise with volunteer passengers.

The CDC has so far approved nine cruise ships, including Freedom of the Seas, Carnival Horizon and MSC Meraviglia from PortMiami, for test cruises, meaning the ships won’t meet a CDC threshold of 95% of passengers and 98% of crew be vaccinated, and two ships — Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Equinox from Port Everglades — for revenue cruises.

DeSantis makes an excellent point about the excessive government overreach by needing to “approve” cruise ships for travel. 

The unnecessary hand-holding from the government is starting to crumble when freedom-loving conservatives stand their ground!

Tampa Bay Times has more on DeSantis’s lawsuit against the CDC:

A mediator declared an impasse in talks aimed at resolving a battle between Florida and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about restrictions on cruise ships during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Porcelli held a settlement conference last week and continued it Tuesday. An online court docket early Thursday afternoon did not show the outcome of the conference, but DeSantis’ office issued a news release that said an impasse had been declared.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, backed by DeSantis, filed the lawsuit in April challenging restrictions imposed by the CDC that have idled cruise ships. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday held a hearing last month on a state request for a preliminary injunction and then sent the case to mediation.

DeSantis has made a major political issue of the restrictions, regularly blasting the CDC during public appearances. The news release from his office Thursday continued the criticism.

“Unfortunately, the CDC has opted to continue its ridiculous and unlawful regulations that target a single industry by imposing vaccine requirements — something no other business or industry must do,” the news release said. “Despite Florida’s sincere efforts to reach a compromise, the mediator appointed by the United States District Court declared an impasse.”

The news release came after U.S. Department of Justice attorneys on Wednesday asked for permission to file an additional brief aimed at bolstering the CDC’s opposition to the request for a preliminary injunction.

The cruise industry was shut down last year after highly publicized outbreaks of COVID-19 aboard ships early in the pandemic. The state’s lawsuit focuses heavily on a “conditional sailing order” that the CDC issued in October with a phased approach to resuming cruise-ship operations.

The agency has issued updated guidance as it moves toward allowing cruise ships to operate. But it has clashed with DeSantis, in part, because he and state lawmakers banned businesses — including cruise ships — from requiring what are known as vaccine “passports” that would show people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The state’s lawsuit contends that the CDC exceeded its authority with the restrictions and that the conditional sailing order is “arbitrary and capricious.” Also, it alleges that the CDC has violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which deals with how agencies impose regulations and carry out laws.

Department of Justice lawyers have countered by saying the federal government has long had authority to regulate ships to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Florida is certainly an example of how you can still be successful as a state without government overreach.

DeSantis’s executive order also got rid of all city and county orders dealing with the pandemic.

This left Floridians free to make their own health decisions.

At a press conference discussing the order, DeSantis notes that if you are policing people at this point, you really don’t believe in the vaccines, data, or science. 

We have a video from Fox 13 Tampa Bay with DeSantis’s statement:

DeSantis’s moves are not only in the best interest of Florida but for the best interest of our country.

With so much winning in Florida, I wish every state had a patriot like DeSantis as their Governor!

While other states advocated for never-ending lockdowns during the pandemic, Florida followed the science and led the nation in ensuring there were opportunities for Florida families to go to school, go to work, and provide for themselves & their families. https://t.co/vc7N8RVHkw

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 2, 2021

DeSantis: Florida chose 'freedom over Faucism' in response to COVID. pic.twitter.com/UaZKjOvElr

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 4, 2021

Gov. DeSantis: Voters are flocking to Florida, ‘overwhelmingly’ registering as Republicans — including former Democrats — because of COVID lockdowns https://t.co/tJP2GPxw25

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 27, 2021

Ron DeSantis basically did the exact opposite of everything Dr. Fauci said to do – and we’re the most successful state and everyone in the country is flocking here in droves.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) June 4, 2021