'You Don't Have To Wear Those': FL Gov. To Masked Students

TAMPA, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for an end to "COVID theater" toward an unlikely source: high school students.

DeSantis exasperatedly requested a group of high school students remove their masks at an indoor news conference at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Wednesday. As he approached the podium to begin the news conference, he informed the students they could wear the masks if they wanted to, but it was time to end the practice.

“You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything. We’ve got to stop with this COVID theater. So if you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous," he said.

DeSantis was at USF to discuss new state funding for statewide cybersecurity education.

The high school students were from Middleton High School in Tampa, a Hillsborough County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed to Patch. In a statement, the school district expressed its pride in Middleton High School's "cybersecurity pathway" and the students' participation in the USF cybersecurity event.

"As always, our students should be valued and celebrated," the school district said in the statement. "It is a student and parent’s choice to protect their health in a way they feel most appropriate. We are proud of the manner in which our students represented themselves and our school district."

A high school freshman, 14-year-old Kevin Brown Jr., told The Associated Press he was taken aback by the comments and felt pressured by DeSantis to remove his mask.

"I was a little bit surprised at his tone," Brown said, adding that he chose to leave his mask on because there were many unmasked people around and he was wary of getting COVID-19.

Brown's father, Kevin Brown Sr., pushed back on the governor's words and told TV station WFLA that he would tell DeSantis to "stop bullying kids."

A USF spokesperson told Patch that masks are not required on campus but declined further comment.

DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The governor has been an opponent of mask and vaccine mandates throughout the pandemic and has banned mask mandates in public schools.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.