Florida physicians - it's time to think about moving

Your governor is interfering with the practice of medicine and it's going to get worse

Florida is a great place to live due to its tropical climate and beautiful beaches.

Unfortunately, Governor DeSantis has been sabotaging the practice of medicine, particularly regarding COVID-19, vaccinations and public health. He recently requested a grand jury to investigate pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical associations associated with the development, distribution and promotion of COVID-19 vaccines. He also launched a “public health integrity committee” to counter the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite the clear consensus in the medical community that the COVID-19 vaccines promoted by the CDC and others have saved millions of lives.

Previously, DeSantis has:

• appointed a surgeon general who regularly derides COVID-19 treatment

• scolded high school students who were wearing masks

• recommended that children not get COVID-19 vaccines

DeSantis is killing Floridians with his anti-vaccine rhetoric. How should Florida physicians react? If they speak up, he is likely to attack them as he has done other critics, including Disney and University of Florida professors. What will stop him from taking action against a physician who challenges or does not adhere to his policies? Yet how can physicians competently practice medicine in a State with anti-science, anti-public health leadership?

DeSantis was just reelected overwhelmingly - it is unlikely he will moderate his positions. Who will stop him from continuing on this path?

I recommend that physicians and others who believe in science, medicine and public health start thinking about or planning to move to a state whose government is completely or partially controlled by Democrats (Florida is completely controlled by Republicans), because other Republican controlled states can be expected to follow the actions of DeSantis, now a national Republican leader. The alternative is to fight DeSantis and his policies. This is admirable but comes at a personal cost.

I am generally an optimist, but Florida and DeSantis are moving steadily against science and medicine without any reasonable hope that this will change in the next few years. If you are a Florida doctor, what will you do?