Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

DeSantis Called Florida the 'Citadel of Freedom' but Damning Video Mashup Has the Receipts

DeSantis Called Florida the 'Citadel of Freedom' but Damning Video Mashup Has the Receipts
News 19 WLTX/YouTube

Under far-right governor Ron DeSantis, Florida was one of the earliest states to reject public health guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly one million Americans. DeSantis banned private businesses from requiring vaccines of their patrons and signed an executive order banning mask mandates in schools.

Though Florida has the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the nation, conservatives have applauded DeSantis' rejection of public safety and praising the Sunshine State as the "free state of Florida."


This weekend, Republicans from across the country descended on Orlando for the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. The event has long been a springboard for conservative elected officials to boost their national profiles, especially in regards to presidential ambitions.

As such, DeSantis—a potential rival to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination—was one of the featured speakers on CPAC 2022's opening day.

Addressing the crowd, DeSantis said:

“Today, standing here in February of 2022. There are 82,000 more Republicans registered in the state of Florida than Democrats. And it’s not just people coming from blue states. There are people that look to Florida as the citadel of freedom, who are chafing under authoritarian rule all across the world.”

But a video compilation from The Recount shows that, while COVID policies in Florida may be lax, other far-right measures championed by DeSantis call its designation as a "citadel of freedom" into question.

Watch below.

The video highlights the Florida Department of Education's ban on critical race theory, as well as the Don't Say Gay bill which recently passed the Florida House, and a 15 week abortion ban, which also passed the House earlier this month. Governor DeSantis has expressed support for all of these measures.

Social media users joined the Recount in calling out the hypocrisy.



The Recount asked for whom exactly Florida is a citadel of freedom, and people had answers.





CPAC concludes on Sunday, when Trump will be a keynote speaker.

More from News

Donald Trump; Playstation 5 logo
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Gamers Rage After Sony Raises Price Of Playstation Amid Trump's Tariffs

Gamers are very unhappy after Sony announced a $50 price hike on PS5 gaming consoles due to "a challenging economic environment"—a move that puts them in line with many global businesses impacted by President Donald Trump's tariffs.

In a blog post, Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President of Global Marketing, said the company has "made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21."

Keep ReadingShow less

People In Long-Term Relationships Explain The Things No One Tells You About

None of us can look into the future and scan everything that will ever happen to us, so there's really no telling exactly what will happen at that job, during that vacation, or throughout that relationship.

But at least on the last point, there are some things that tend to come up in long-term relationships and marriages that brand new love birds might not see coming.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @zarababyz's TikTok video
@zarababyz/TikTok

Little Girl Goes Viral For Her Adorable Way Of Wearing Her Backpack For First Day Of Preschool

Back-to-school season is in full swing, and everyone's social media feeds are full of cute, smiling faces off to their first day of school, more mature faces off to their last first day before college, and every school year in between.

And let's not forget the accessories, including outfits of the day, backpacks and purses, and more!

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @adayinaeats' TikTok video
@adayinaeats/TikTok

Working Mom Gets Emotional After Realizing She's Missing All Her Baby's Major Milestones

Anyone who has raised children or is regularly around children can attest that they truly do grow up so fast.

That's what makes it so hard for new parents to go back to work after having a baby. It's not necessarily balancing the new responsibilities of parenthood with their preexisting responsibilities as a working adult, in an office and at home. It's the fact that they're going to miss out on some of the first moments and milestones with their children, which they can't ever get back.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @heyimgazza's TikTok video
@heyimgazza/TikTok

Guy Sparks Debate After Preventing Seats In Front Of Him From Reclining For Entire 8-Hour Overnight Flight

We can all agree that flying can be long, frustrating, and uncomfortable, and most of us would love to experience a little more comfort when we fly. But preventing other people from seeking comfort likely isn't the way to go about it.

TikToker @heyimgazza was surprised when he witnessed a fellow passenger's questionable behavior and pressed the record button, capturing a man on camera who sat with his arms up for eight hours, hands pressed against the seats in front of him to prevent three passengers from reclining their seats.

Keep ReadingShow less