For months, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has spoken publicly about his hope lawmakers in his state would create a law protecting doctors who want to prescribe what they think is best for patients, even if it goes against current CDC and NIH guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19. Action he took on Feb. 24 might have offered protection from lawsuits under new Florida Department of Health guidelines giving health care providers “flexibility to treat patients with off-label prescriptions if they determine it could help the patient, and it is something the patient would like to try.” But days after that announcement, it seemed there was no hope for the passage of related bills DeSantis had urged lawmakers to pass to protect doctors’ freedom of speech. The bills would have protected doctors from penalties for speaking with patients, or publicly, about treatments that go against the official recommendations of government authorities. Many …