Banner Declaring Ron DeSantis 'Is Missing' While Florida 'On Fire' Flown Over Miami

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Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

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A banner reading "Florida is on fire and Ron is missing" made its way across the skies over Miami and South Beach on Thursday, coming at a time when the state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has faced criticism reportedly over minimal public appearances amid the COVID-19 surge.

The video of the banner, which was paid for by the Remove Ron political advocacy group and circulated across Twitter by individuals such as Occupy Democrats executive director Grant Stern and Federation of American Scientists fellow and former congressional candidate Eric Feigl-Ding, shows the message being flown in black lettering across a bright blue sky.

Criticism toward DeSantis has ramped up amid a rise of COVID-19 in his state that has reached its highest number of reported cases on Thursday with 77,848—at a time when an average of 1 in 4 Miami-Dade County residents have tested positive for coronavirus.

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-FLORIDA
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces criticism for not making public appearances amid a COVID surge in Florida. Here, he speaks holding his facemask during a press conference to address the rise of coronavirus cases in... Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

The last time DeSantis reportedly held a news conference was on December 17 and has not made any public appearances since, sans a FOX News spot, according to Florida Politics. This has drawn criticism from Democrats over his handling of the pandemic in Florida.

"He signed into law legislation that effectively prohibited local governments from being able to take charge and lead in our fight against Covid-19," Democratic Mayor Jerry Demings of Orange County said at a recent press conference, NBC News reported. "Our residents, all Florida residents should be outraged, and they should ask the question, now, where's our state? Where's our governor? Where is Ron DeSantis now? When was the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing regarding COVID-19?"

The governor's press secretary, Christina Pushaw, issued a tweet Thursday stating that DeSantis' wife is battling cancer and has three children between the ages of 1 and 5, adding "it's not surprising if he wants to take a few days off at Christmas to spend time with his family."

Courtesy of @RemoveRon

The issue has drawn further scrutiny after DeSantis' official Twitter account posted photos of the governor that were taken days prior without noting the discrepancy between the time the photo was taken and its date of posting. It led Occupy Democrats' Stern to tweet: "Ron DeSantis is still living in December 17th. #WhereIsRon."

Meanwhile, the governor's website has issued press releases describing his activities since December 17, such as a December 22 release stating DeSantis had made 14 appointments to the Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council.

Newsweek contacted DeSantis' office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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About the writer

Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

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Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within ... Read more