‘Florida Chose Freedom Over Faucism!’ DeSantis Draws Massive Cheers at a Packed Country Music Fest for Broadside on Fauci

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) drew cheers at a country music concert over the weekend for firing a broadside at Dr. Anthony Fauci.

“Florida chose freedom over Faucism,” told attendees of the Panama City Beach 2021 Pepsi Gulf Coast event on Sunday, just before a performance by country music star Luke Bryan. An estimated 22,000 country music fans came to the event, which was originally scheduled to take place on Labor Day but postponed due to Covid-19.

#DontFauciMyFlorida pic.twitter.com/qGwYcXD2h3

— Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) June 7, 2021

DeSantis famously lifted his state’s mask mandate in October, and prohibited local municipalities from imposing fines on residents related to masks and other rules related to Covid-19. The state’s beaches and nightlife establishments have been mostly open — and crowded — since that time.

The lax rules have also attracted numerous events. The Bitcoin 2021 conference drew another 12,000 attendees from around the world to Miami over the weekend, and the annual Conservative Political Action Conference convened in Orlando in February for the first time in its history.

“Nothing says Florida is open like a night of live music at the @Pepsi @GulfCoastJam, the largest music festival since the pandemic began,” DeSantis tweeted on Sunday evening evening after his speech at the concert.