DeSantis' office hits back after mayor asks 'Where's our governor?'

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Florida Democrats blame DeSantis for COVID surge

Fox News contributor James Freeman challenges the Miami Beach, Florida, mayor for claiming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has handled the coronavirus pandemic poorly.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office fired back after a Sunshine State mayor asked where DeSantis is amid the rising coronavirus case count nationwide.

Democratic Mayor Jerry Demings of Orange County in Florida attacked DeSantis in a press conference Tuesday amid the rising COVID cases, saying residents in the state "should be outraged" with DeSantis not being in front of the media during the spike.

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"Our residents, all Florida residents should be outraged, and they should ask the question, Now, where's our state? Where's our governor?" Demings said. "Where is Ron DeSantis now? When was the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing regarding COVID-19?"

The governor’s office fired back at the Democrats Thursday with a communications staffer writing on Twitter that just because DeSantis doesn’t have scheduled public events does not mean he’s taking a vacation.

"Just FYI, [DeSantis] is not on vacation. Literally no one from our office has said that he is," DeSantis staffer Kyle Lamb wrote on Thursday.

"Anyone pushing that could have easily seen the public schedule and seen that he's taking calls and meetings this past week," he continued. "Not having public events does not = 'vacation.'"

Democrats in Florida have been hammering DeSantis as COVID cases rise in the state, accusing the Republican governor of missing in action as the omicron variant spreads.

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Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat, recently appeared on CNN's "New Day" and lobbed accusations that DeSantis has chosen to "champion" not getting vaccinated.

Gelber's attacks on DeSantis came just days before Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was spotted in Miami with a companion as New York City sees a record number of COVID cases.