Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., told Newsmax TV on Thursday that it's the right time for parts of Florida, particularly in the northern region of the state, to start reopening after shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Waltz told "National Report" that when many people "think of Florida, they think of South Beach" and "may not realize that north Florida, the panhandle, other areas are very rural, [and have a] completely different dynamic, had a totally different experience with this virus."
He added, "Florida is a big state, very diverse, and I think taking a bottoms-up approach, a localized approach and also letting counties and mayors have a big say in this makes sense."
The congressman said later that local officials know "their community far better than the state capitol, and certainly better than Washington, D.C., and you know this is where federalism comes in, and I think we need to take a bottom-up approach here."
Waltz also said that he thinks some of the stay-at-home orders "are overstepping" when it comes to their "constitutionality."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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