On December 3, 2020, The Hill reported that Florida’s state health department communications director, Alberto Moscoso, had told state health officials not to publicly comment on or discuss the coronavirus pandemic until after the November 3 presidential election.
Three Florida health officials told reporters that, in the last week of September 2020, they were directed not to discuss the coronavirus pandemic until after November 3. They were encouraged to shift messaging to other health issues like the flu or hearing loss. Subsequently, on September 24, the health department stopped posting anything about COVID-19 on social media. Instead, the health department posted about flu vaccinations, carbon monoxide poisoning, and lead poisoning.
Though it is unclear who above Moscoso directed the order to be issued, The Hill noted that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been a vocal supporter of President Trump, who has faced widespread criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic nationwide. DeSantis and Moscoso both did not respond for comment when asked about the order. However, a spokesperson for DeSantis defended the health department's decision not to post about COVID-19 on social media, saving "the messaging on prevention and COVID-19 has already reached saturation. People rae doing all they can to mitigate risk."