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The Capitolist’s Top Tweets of 2020

Jordan Kirkland

COVID-19, a presidential election, nationwide protests — 2020 is a year we’ll never forget.

The whirlwind 365 days seemed to drag forever and hit us with a smorgasbord of sour moments and stale headlines. Much of the year has been chronicled on Twitter for all the masochists to look back and bask in the year that was 2020.

But what about tweets involving Florida politics, you ask?

Fortunately (or unfortunately), we’ve put together a recap of some of the biggest tweets from Florida’s political arena — giving you a 20/20 vision to clearly see what transpired over the past 12 months.

Here is a mashup of some of The Capitolist‘s biggest tweets in 2020…

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What continues to be a trending story heading into 2021, former Florida Department of Health (DOH) employee Rebekah Jones made headlines in 2020 after she was fired for insubordination.

While legacy media outlets came to her defense without getting the facts, Editor Brian Burgess added much-needed transparency to Jones’ termination.

If only we could add the same clarity to her GoFundMe accounts…

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Republicans overperformed in the Sunshine State during the November elections, picking up down-ticket seats while preventing Democrats from gaining any real estate. When Florida finished counting their votes on election night, the President netted over 51 percent of the vote, and notable Democrats — Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala — were dethroned by Republican newcomers.

South Florida’s “red wave” was thanks in part to Senator Manny Diaz. The Hialeah Republican, along with other prominent Republican officials, energized the Latino vote and convinced them to pull the lever for Trump and Republicans like Tom Fabricio and Alex Rizo.

Not to mention, he had the support of UFC veteran and South Florida favorite Jorge Masvidal — who stamped his seal of approval on the story and tweet.

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Following the death of George Floyd in May, protests and Black Lives Matter movements sprung up across the United States. While many occurred in metropolitan areas, Tallahassee saw its share of protests as well.

Reporter Jordan Kirkland covered the first demonstration that took place outside the Capitol. Mostly peaceful, the protest included hundreds of young people demanding police accountability. Protesters also took issue with Governor Ron DeSantis, with some marching to the Governor’s Mansion shortly after.

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At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, firebrand conservative Anthony Sabatini appeared on CNN with Brianna Keilar to discuss mask mandates and why he opposed them.

What started off as a normal conversation quickly turned heated, as Keilar took shots at the Howey-in-the-Hills Republican for opposing face masks inside places of business. While Sabatini deflected the loaded questions, the interview was anything but cordial.

The verbal spat would spillover on Twitter shortly after the interview aired, with Sabatini and Keilar sparring in an attempt to land the coup de grâce.

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When Democrat Dan Daley filed a bill that would require background checks on Floridians purchasing ammo, it was only a matter of time before GOP members would pushback against his measure.

While the bill, known as “Jaime’s Law,” will be decided during the 2021 Legislative Session, House Republicans — who hold a majority — made it clear that they would prevent the legislation from ever seeing the light of day.

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Long before the fallout from the 2020 presidential election, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz played Nostradamus on an episode of his podcast, “Hot Takes With Matt Gaetz.”  An ardent ally of President Donald Trump, Gaetz predicted that the President would pardon his longtime friend Roger Stone.

What could’ve been viewed as another lazy prediction was actually a spoiler of things to come. On Dec. 23, Trump wielded his clemency powers and granted Stone an official pardon, making Gaetz look like a fortune-teller.