New York's response was so bungled and reckless, while Florida was response was so strategic and targeted.
One great example was the handling of the most vulnerable - nursing home residents. More than a third of the nation’s Covid deaths have occurred among the residents and staff of long-term-care facilities—a share that jumps as high as 80 percent in Minnesota and West Virginia.
But, here is what the difference was between New York state and Florida:
FLORIDA
Florida’s response to Covid-19 focused on nursing homes.
Florida counts more than 350,000 people living or working in such facilities, and the state has one of the highest shares of residents over the age of 65.
At the start of the outbreak, Florida deployed rapid-response teams to these facilities to test, treat, and, if necessary, isolate or quarantine residents testing positive for the virus. The state issued PPE to these facilities and mandated its use. While New York was moving sick patients into nursing homes, Florida was moving them out.
On March 15, DeSantis prohibited the transfer of Covid-19-positive patients into long-term-care facilities and established Covid-only homes for getting residents out who could not be properly isolated or treated.
NEW YORK
By contrast, New York governor Andrew Cuomo—celebrated in the media, while DeSantis was condemned — ORDERED on March 25th that infected patients be admitted into nursing homes, where Cuomo himself had said the virus could spread “like fire through grass.” It did and 6000 seniors died because of this disastrous and deadly decision, 30% of New York state's deaths. He has never explained why he didn't use the 4000 empty beds in the Javitz Center hospital or the 1000 beds on the hospital ship Comfort, all sent at great expense by the President and never used.