Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried willing to break from Biden administration on Omicron response

UPDATE: Following publication of this article, a representative for Fried reached out to Orlando Weekly. She wanted to make it clear that Fried does not support “shutting back down.”

Original story continues below.

The state’s most prominent Democrat says she’s not waiting on word from the Joe Biden administration when it comes to Florida’s response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“I take my cues from the people of our state and what the people of our state want,” Fried said in an interview with Florida Politics. “If we start seeing increasing numbers, it’s our job to be honest with the people of our state about what’s happening and how to make sure that they’re protecting themselves.”

Fried’s statement came after Biden did what national Democrats do best, backing himself into a corner that the opposition wasn’t pushing him toward. He recently said that lockdowns are not necessary to combat the looming Omicron variant, a clip that will no doubt be used against him should the situation on the ground change.

The would-be Democratic candidate for Florida governor refused to make any such commitments.

“My sole responsibility is taking care of the State of Florida. I have a great relationship with the White House and so when there’s issues, I can have a communication and relationship with them to work through them and find solutions — but my priority is always to people of our state,” she said.

Fried has been a stern critic of DeSantis’ coronavirus response. She accused the governor of lying about COVID-19 numbers to further his anti-mandate agenda.

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This article appears in Dec 1-7, 2021.