Fred Piccolo, a communications director for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), found himself at the center of controversy for his gross disregard of the lives lost to COVID-19.
In a late-night Twitter post on Wednesday evening, Piccolo shared a tweet that appeared to belittle the fact that people have died from the pandemic. He tweeted, "I'm wondering since 99% [of] Covid patients survive shouldn't you have 99 photos of survivors for every one fatality? Otherwise, you're just trying to create a narrative that is not reality."
According to the Orlando Sentinel, screenshots of Piccolo's remarks were captured by Miami Herald reporter Ben Conarck. The tweets, which were posted around 4:00 a.m., were reportedly a response to remarks made by Reuters editor Corinne Perkins.
She tweeted a photo of a deceased COVID patient to shed light on the grim side of the pandemic that many people do not see. With the photo, Perkins tweeted, "This thread is dedicated to those saying we aren't seeing images of the reality of COVID-19 in hospitals across the U.S. This is not an exhaustive list but I wanted to highlight the stories [Reuters Pictures] photographers bring to light."
DeSantis aide flees Twitter after backlash over shocking remarks about COVID-19 victims
As COVID spreads, Florida governor’s spokesman pushes misinformation
By Mario Ariza, Cindy Krischer Goodman and David Fleshler
South Florida Sun Sentinel | Dec 03, 2020 at 12:28 PM
Since taking the top communications post for Florida’s governor in July, Fred Piccolo Jr. has used his personal Twitter account to spread misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.
During the gravest health crisis the state has ever faced, the governor’s spokesman has questioned the efficacy of mask wearing and mask mandates at least 16 times, and has claimed that COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu at least three times.
Piccolo, a public employee who government records say makes over $154,000 a year, offered “context” for his tweets. The South Florida Sun Sentinel asked independent experts to fact-check his tweets and the context he offered.
Since taking office in late July, Piccolo has tweeted about masks at least 16 times. In his tweets, he has shared questionable scientific studies about the effectiveness of masks, mischaracterized other scientific studies that show masks work to stop the spread of the virus, and consistently cast doubt on the efficacy of mask mandates as a policy tool.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study on Nov. 27 showing that the virus spread more slowly in counties in Kansas that had mask ordinances than in counties without a mask requirement, Piccolo shared criticism of the study and its media coverage. “Must read. Major bias alert,” he said.
On three separate occasions, Piccolo has replied to people on Twitter with claims that COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu.
As COVID spreads, Florida governor’s spokesman pushes misinformation
