DeSantis is 'creating havoc' in Florida, Democratic candidate for governor Nikki Fried says

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DeSantis is 'creating havoc' in Florida, Democratic candidate for governor Nikki Fried says

SARASOTA, Fla. – Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is "creating havoc" in the Sunshine State, a Florida candidate for governor, Nikki Fried, told Fox News in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview.

"He's made our state unaffordable. He has divided our state. He is creating havoc in our local communities," said Fried, a Democrat who's served as the state’s agriculture commissioner since her election in 2018.

"This governor has one goal and one goal only: to get to the White House, not to take care of the people of our state," Fried added.

Fried must first defeat U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Florida governor, in the August primary before she can face DeSantis in November's general election. Crist held a 19 point lead in the polls according to the latest Real Clear Politics average.

Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and a Democratic candidate for 2022 Florida gubernatorial race, arrives for a ceremony with U.S. President Joe Biden.  ( Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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"As the only one [Democrat] who's been able to win our state since Barack Obama, I'm confident that the Democrats are going to want a proven winner, a proven advocate and somebody that they trust," she said.

Fried told Fox News that she believed the leaked Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will have a "tremendous" impact on the race.

"We have been talking about the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade for four decades at this point, and now, unfortunately, this is a reality," said Fried.

"People who may have sat on the sidelines, the next generation, who understand that it is their rights that are going to be infringed upon—you are going to see women and men all across the state, all across the country, not only protesting and marching, registering to vote and showing up," she continued.

DeSantis called the leak "judicial insurrection." During a press conference earlier this month he said "we’ll see what ends up being the result going forward."

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist  waves as he arrives to meet supporters at a phone bank during a campaign stop Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 in Tampa, Fla. Crist is running against Gov. Rick Scott. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The governor signed a bill in April prohibiting all abortions after 15 weeks. Fried said, if elected, she would work to reverse that legislation.

"The fact of the matter is, there are no exceptions for rape, for incest, for victims of sex trafficking," she said. "So not only do we need to reverse it, but we need to create better protections for each of those classes of individuals."

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Fried said one of her first acts in office would be to declare a state of emergency on housing.

Florida metros have recently seen a dramatic increase in rent prices, according to a Realtor.com study released Thursday. Miami was up 51.6% from April 2021, Orlando was up 32.9% and Tampa 27.8%.

Miami and Tampa have some of the highest inflation rates in the nation, according to a Redfin study released in May.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Screenshot/Twitter/@GovRonDeSantis) (Screenshot/Twitter/@GovRonDeSantis)

"We've been asking the governor to take this issue seriously," Fried told Fox News in regard to housing costs. "Unfortunately, he's more concerned about fighting with Disney and changing congressional maps than he actually cares about the people on the ground. 

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DeSantis signed legislation last month stripping Walt Disney World of a decades-old special agreement that allowed the theme park to govern itself after a public spat with the company over new legislation regarding parents' rights. A Florida judge recently blocked DeSantis' redistricting map from taking effect before the midterm elections.

Fried said she welcomes new residents to Florida, but noted that the state has not planned for the mass migration of people from other states. Miami and Tampa are among some of the country's hottest destinations, according to the Redfin study.

"The fact of the matter is anything over 10% is price gouging when it comes to rent," Fried said. "The predatory landlords that are happening out here, this is pure greed and that's got to stop."

Fried also called Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law a "national embarrassment."

The legislation, officially named Parental Rights in Education, bans school employees or third parties from giving classroom instruction on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" in kindergarten through third grade. DeSantis signed it into law in March.

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"This governor and this radical right legislature took that time to divide our state, to marginalize communities instead of focusing on these issues," Fried said. "That is an embarrassment."

"We are excited for a new opportunity to have a new governor, a female governor, who is going to stop being an embarrassment for our state," she said.

DeSantis' office declined to comment.

Isabelle McDonnell contributed to this report.