Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the NAACP for its announcement earlier this week that it would issue a formal travel advisory warning black Americans not to visit Florida.
DeSantis blasted the travel advisory as a “political stunt” before touting his state’s low crime rates and high number of black-owned businesses. The comments came during a conversation hosted on Twitter’s “Spaces” platform Wednesday evening during which he officially announced his presidential campaign.
“To say that Florida is unsafe is a total farce,” DeSantis remarked. “I mean, are you kidding me? Look at the cities in this country, they’re inundated with crime. In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low. Look at the top 25 crime cities in America, Florida . has none in the top 25.”
“And if you look at cities like Baltimore and Chicago, you’re more likely to get shot than kids to get a first-class education,” he continued. “Still, I don’t see the NAACP being oblivious to all the carnage going on in these areas. So this is a political ploy. These left-wing groups have been doing this for many, many years. And they’re colluding with legacy media to try to manufacture a narrative.”
TWITTER SPACES ARE REPEATEDLY CHANGED DURING THE 2024 DESANTIS ANNOUNCEMENT
On Saturday, the NAACP formally announced the travel advisory, explaining that it was a “direct response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase black history and to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida schools.” The notice added that Florida is “openly hostile to African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people.”
And the organizations warned black Americans visiting Florida that they were traveling to a place that “devalues and marginalizes the contributions and challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
TWITTER SPACES MELT DOWN DURING DESANTIS ADS FA GUPINES Scorched-Earth REACTION TO TRUMP MATCHES
“The good news is that fewer and fewer Americans are gullible enough to believe this nonsense and platforms like Twitter exist where people can debunk these lies in real time,” DeSantis continued Wednesday. “I would just say that, as an American citizen, if you uncritically accept the narratives put forth by the legacy media and left-wing groups, you are failing in your job of being an informed citizen.”
“I think people just see it well,” he added. “By the way, have any of these travel advisories worked — because they’ve been doing it for a while, these leftist groups —? Well, we’re the number one state for net immigration and we’ve been every year since I’ve been governor . We just capped the highest quarter of tourism in the history of the state of Florida.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to voters March 10 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Our point is: We want everyone to succeed regardless of the color of their skin. We don’t divide people by race. At the same time, it’s worth noting that we have more black-owned businesses in Florida than any state in the nation. And also we’ve had more African-Americans head state agencies under my administration than at any time in Florida history. But with us, you know they’re there on merit, not because we’re trying to play identity politics.”
DeSantis further noted that Florida is among the nation’s leaders in black education outcomes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
And he also pointed out how Leon Russell, president of the NAACP, lives in Florida while several of the group’s leaders have posted pictures on social media of them visiting the state since he has been governor.
“They looked like they were having a great time,” DeSantis concluded.
Thomas Catenacci is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
