Until the virus is beaten, the Senator said in the 11 a.m. hour of “Varney and Company,” the economy can’t fully recover because tourism can’t come back.
The comments come as cases are on the upward swing in Florida and nationwide. On Monday, nearly 3,400 more cases were registered in Florida, with 20 more confirmed deaths from the pandemic, which has taken 16,449 lives.
“I think it’s clear we all have to take this seriously,” Scott told host Stuart Varney. “We haven’t beaten it.”
“In Florida,” the Senator added, “we are going to figure out how to get this economy going again.”
That process, Scott assured, must proceed “very cautiously,” to “keep people safe.”
Former Governor Scott and current Gov. Ron DeSantis have not collaborated particularly fluidly since DeSantis took over in January 2019, so details were scant.
But Scott did offer a warning.
If people don’t control the virus, the economy, even though it is “coming back” now with a white-hot single-family home sector, will hit a ceiling.
“We still need a lot more tourists,” Scott said. “We’ve got to get this economy open, a vaccine out, tests out, so we can get tourists back,” Scott said.
Despite the repeated forays this summer and fall into Florida by the President and surrogates alike, Florida’s Junior Senator hasn’t been at the rallies, instead focusing on fundraising to save the Republican Senate.
Trump, according to reports, is lukewarm on some of the Senators whose careers hang in the balance like his next week.
Asked about the President’s maskless rallies in the state, Scott deferred comment, instead pivoting to the positive.
“I think what the White House has been really helpful on getting more tests out there,” Scott said, before offering words that may not necessarily resonate with the anti-mask, virus-skeptic base.
“I do wish everybody would wear a mask and socially distance,” Scott said, remarks consistent with his posture throughout the coronavirus crisis.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Oct 22-29, 2020.