For some Floridians, their Thanksgiving is about the return of a loved one.
For Tracy Blackburn, that’s her husband, Ron DeSantis, who was formerly Florida’s Republican governor and is now the county’s next governor. His replacement, Democratic former Rep. Andrew Gillum, who is campaigning to unseat him in the upcoming November election, “created a storm in that state that went away because it was so nasty,” Blackburn said. Ron even flew to Austin, Texas, to visit his wife.
In the African-American community of Orlando, the traffic, which had been “always terrible,” is returning — plus, more jobs are being created, according to Wayne Jones, who in 1998 was the first black lawyer in the Orlando County Clerk of Courts office.
In Sanibel Island, which is known for its beaches and seafood, some residents say the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and teachers were killed, hasn’t altered the community’s identity. Although some want tighter gun controls, the incident has not changed their respect for gun owners. One resident, who asked not to be named, said he still encourages a defensive stance while exercising in public. “I do that in every park, until I see somebody get shot.”