The Latest: Florida governor holds to anti-lockdown stance

MIAMI — As Florida continues to lead the nation in hospitalizations for COVID-19, Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding to his anti-mask, anti-lockdown stance.

He repeated it strongly Wednesday night in a fundraising email that also takes a shot at President Joe Biden, who has singled out the governors of Florida and Texas for criticism of their opposition to lockdowns and other strict pandemic measures.

DeSantis says that in Florida, “we will continue to lift people up, not lock people down. Florida is a free state, and we will empower our people."

The governor adds that "we will not allow Joe Biden and his bureaucratic flunkies to come in and commandeer the rights and freedoms of Floridians.”

“So," DeSantis says in closing, "when Joe Biden tells me to get out the way, I’ve got news for him. I will always stand between power-hungry tyrants and the people of Florida.”

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Largest U.S. nursing home operator to workers: Get vaccine or lose job

— Microsoft: US workers must be fully vaccinated

— Britain to expand vaccine to youth ages 16-17

— Unvaccinated, hospitalized: Patients now advocate for shots

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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state health officials say new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state are showing steeper jumps than past surges in the pandemic.

In a video conference Wednesday, a spokesman for the Department of State Health Services said the rolling seven-day average of new virus...