Upset about Manatee’s exclusive COVID vaccines? DeSantis threatens to send them elsewhere
Facing criticism over the idea of vaccinating some of Manatee County’s wealthiest residents ahead of everyone else, Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to send future pop-up vaccination sites elsewhere.
Speaking at a Wednesday morning press conference at the temporary Premier Sports Campus drive-thru site, DeSantis argued that any additional shots for seniors are a benefit, noting that the 3,000 shots going to Lakewood Ranch residents are in addition to the county’s regular weekly allotment.
“If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we are totally fine putting this in counties that want it. We’re totally happy to do that,” DeSantis said. “Anyone that’s saying that, let us know if you want us to send it to Sarasota or Charlotte or Pasco or wherever, let us know — we’re happy to do it.”
“But I think most people — we have an opportunity to bring vaccine and do it efficiently — I think they’re going to want it,” he continued. “There’s folks that are going to complain about getting vaccines, I’ll tell you what, I’d be thankful because you know what? We didn’t need to do this at all. We saw a need and wanted to get the numbers up for seniors.”
Wednesday’s statements come after a contentious debate among county commissioners who questioned the process that led to the opening of the Lakewood Ranch site. They said they were shocked to learn that Commissioner Vanessa Baugh had been involved in a plan to select residents from only two zip codes in her district — two of the richest and least impacted by COVID-19 in Manatee County — to receive vaccines at the site, which will run from Wednesday to Friday.
The topics came up at the commission’s Tuesday work session meeting. Several of Baugh’s fellow commissioners said they were concerned about the optics of picking and choosing who will receive the vaccine, especially after they spent weeks assuring residents that the Vaccine Standby Pool is a random lottery process.
Baugh said she pushed to organize the Lakewood Ranch event, after receiving a phone call from DeSantis and Lakewod Ranch developer Rex Jensen.
“My concern with this is that I’ve been fighting like hell to show people that the lottery is equal and we cannot compromise the system and all of a sudden, someone is telling me we were able to pull a certain demographic out,” Commissioner Reggie Bellamy said at the time.
Board members also said they had an issue with the state choosing to vaccinate residents of one of the wealthiest parts of town. Commissioner Misty Servia noted that she constantly hears from underserved residents in her district, urging her to somehow secure vaccine in the area.
The median income in the 3402 and 34211 zip codes is more than double the county’s overall median income, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
By comparison, those zip codes haven’t seen as many COVID-19 infections as other parts of the county, according to the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard. As of Tuesday afternoon, in 34202, 1,529 residents had tested positive and 1,019 had tested positive in 34211.
DeSantis downplayed those concerns Wednesday. He said the state was focused solely on boosting the percentage of senior citizens in the county who have been vaccinated.
“It wasn’t a choice about zip codes,” DeSantis explained. “It was a choice about where’s a high concentration of seniors where you can have communities provide the ability for them to go on. It wasn’t choosing one zip code over another. We go where the seniors are and try to knock it out.”
Speaking with the media after DeSantis, Commissioner George Kruse echoed statements he made at Tuesday’s meeting, noting that the election process could have been more equitable. He said, however, that he was pleased that the state found a way to vaccinate more residents.
“At the end of the day, what’s done is done. These 3,000 people have been called and there’s 3,000 people showing up here in the next few days. They’re going to get vaccinated, which is great for them and it’s great for everyone behind them in the pool because that’s 3,000 less people who may get called.”
Political opponents respond to DeSantis
DeSantis’ comments set off a flurry of responses from political foes. Florida’s highest-ranking Democrat contested that he was using vaccine availability “as a political tool.”
“There is no reason that Governor DeSantis should be rationing vaccines based on political influence. This is troubling and potentially illegal. Vaccines should be distributed to counties based on need, capacity, and science,” Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a prepared statement.
“While I am disappointed in the governor using vaccines as a political tool, I plan on working with the Biden administration to ensure they do not penalize Floridians for his actions and continue to ramp up vaccine distribution to all communities so that we can get our economy and state going again,” the statement continued.
Florida Watch, a progressive policy group, also launched an attack, arguing that DeSantis has “repeatedly put corporate special interests and his campaign donors ahead of Floridians in need.”
“This isn’t governing for the people. This is political cronyism plain and simple. When confronted about it this morning, DeSantis petulantly said if Manatee doesn’t want the vaccines he’ll send them somewhere else,” said Sean Shaw, a 2018 candidate for Florida attorney general and a member of the organization’s board of directors. “This isn’t a schoolyard game where you pick up your marbles and stomp away, Gov. DeSantis. Distributing these vaccines is about people’s lives and livelihoods, all the people in Florida.”
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, state Rep. Michele Rayner called on DeSantis to give just as much attention to underserved communities. According to the state’s daily COVID-19 report, a combined 1,824 Black and Hispanic residents have been vaccinated in Manatee, while 30,394 white residents have been vaccinated.
Rayner’s district includes predominantly minority neighborhoods in Palmetto and Bradenton.
“I think that with the same priority you have with these wealthy communities, we need to prioritize frontline and essential workers. Those same people, frontline and essential workers, are disproportionately Black and brown, and those folks should be prioritized as well to minimize the effects in the community,” said Rayner, D-St. Petersburg.
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 11:49 AM.
