As well known for her leftwing views and support of Joe Biden as she is for her Grammys, Taylor Swift’s new song “Florida” paints a very different, dark, and depraved view of the Sunshine State than the one held and promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The song, featuring Florence Welch with Florence + The Machine, depicts the state as an old frontier town – disorderly and dark, with murder, binge drinking, and drugs – the opposite of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tough “law and order” stance on crime.
“We’re proud of being a law and order state,” DeSantis said last week before Swift’s album dropped as he signed five public safety bills in St. Petersburg.
The governor has repeated the mantra at almost every press conference this spring. Whether it was signing a bill that would allow homeowners to remove squatters from their property or warning spring breakers in Miami, DeSantis has criticized blue states like California and has compared them to Florida.
“What passes muster in New York and California is not passing muster here,” he said when he signed the “Property Rights” bill (HB 621) in Orlando in March.
However, Taylor’s version of “Florida” is quite different. Her lyrics echo the Sunshine State stereotypes that DeSantis has been trying so hard to change. Her lyrics paint a vivid, if not so appealing, portrait of the Sunshine State as a place of sweltering heat with the ever-present scent of weed. Not to mention a place where men and women both go to cheat on their spouses, with “no questions asked.”
She also calls “Florida one hell of a drug.” However, If Taylor is talking about literal drugs, that’s an issue DeSantis and Florida’s lawmakers have continued to crack down on. As far as the smell of Weed, DeSantis has also been quite clear that medical marijuana is as far as he wants to go and does not support the legalization of recreational pot.
In 2020, Swift endorsed Joe Biden for President one month before the elections, but neither she nor her representatives have said if she plans to do so again this year.
Editor’s note: Not really a Taylor fan, but I was inspired by this article to listen to the song and read the lyrics of the song. I can’t help but think the lyrics were written by someone with bipolar disorder, depressing, depicting an unstable person. Made me cringe. My two cents…