Ron DeSantis: Florida ready to help America's supply chain crisis
Florida governor weighs in on COVID response, supply chain disruptions and more on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight'
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that his state's seaports can help alleviate America's ongoing supply chain crisis, offering them as an alternative to the overwhelmed ports in California and other parts of the country.
In an appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," DeSantis pointed to the ongoing backlogs at California ports which have led to empty shelves and ongoing supply chain shortages in communities across the U.S.
"We have capacity at all of our ports," he told Carlson.
‘BIDEN WILL RUIN CHRISTMAS’ IF SUPPLY CHAIN ISN'T IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSED
The governor fired shots at the White House for making a "big deal" over last week's announcement that LA's port would start operating 24 hours a day in an effort to reduce the backlog ahead of the holiday season.
"We always do 24/7 in Florida," he said.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 18: Empty shelves are seen at a Sears store on October 18, 2021 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. Sears, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018, will close its last New York City store on November 24th after years of declining sales. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 17: Containers are seen on a container ship docked at a port in Newark of New Jersey, United States on October 17, 2021 as supply chain disruptions continue in US. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images | Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
DeSantis said Florida seaports are further offering incentive packages to businesses that want to send cargo through the facilities, noting that companies in other parts of the globe have already begun rerouting shipments to the Sunshine State.
"We’ve got capacity and all of our ports can offer these businesses good incentives if they reroute their ships," he said. "If you were going to sit off the coast for days on end, you might as well bring it to Florida. We have great logistics on the ground that can get it to market and we are happy to be able to step up because there are empty shelves."
DeSantis said his state is taking various steps to accommodate these ships because the backlog "is driving inflation. This is going to cause shortages, we already see shortages. It's going to affect the Christmas season," he warned, "So I think Florida can be part of the solution."
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