COVID vaccine site at Ellenton mobile home park is open to all seniors. Here’s how to sign up
The state will bring 3,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses to a senior mobile home park in Ellenton. But you don’t have to live there to get a shot.
The three-day event at Colony Cove in Ellenton, will begin Tuesday and will be open to Florida residents 65 years old or older. Between 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. about 1,170 doses will be administered each day at the park, 101 Amsterdam Ave.
“We are thrilled to help bring the vaccine to Colony Cove residents, as well other residents,” said Scott Payrits, the park’s general manager. “I think its a great way to get them vaccinated, especially so close.”
The site will be open for any resident 65 years old or over but an appointment is needed. Appointments are being made via the mobile home park’s homeowners association. To make an appointment, seniors can call 941-705-1591, email 29rvrover@gmail.com or visit the park in person at 7615 Lake Shore Drive, Ellenton.
Gov. Ron DeSantis provided an update on vaccinations in by reaching out to Manatee County residents in robo-call on Monday afternoon.
“Our goal is to get the senior coverage in Manatee County higher,” DeSantis said. “Forty percent is better than what it is in a lot parts of the country, but it’s below the state average, which is over 50%.”
This is the second vaccine site hosted by the state in Manatee County. Last month, DeSantis hosted an exclusive vaccine event at Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch. During the robo-call on Monday, DeSantis claimed that the county was identified a couple weeks ago as an area of concern, which is why he had hosted the previous community vaccine event.
Appointments for the Lakewood Ranch event were made at the direction of Commissioner Vanessa Baugh by selecting only residents who listed their zip codes as 34202 and 34211 on their registration with the county’s random vaccine standby pool.
Baugh also created a VIP list of names she directed be included for vaccination, including herself, Lakewood Ranch developer Rex Jensen, Jensen’s father and Baugh’s former neighbors. Now the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether Baugh broke any laws, including whether she misused her public position, after a complaint was filed by Sarasota paralegal Michael Barfield.
DeSantis visited the site at Premier Sports Complex on the first day of the event and defended his decision. But on Monday, the state’s highest-ranking elected Democrat, Nikki Fried. called on DeSantis to suspend Baugh.
The county has not been involved in organizing the event at Colony Cove, however.
As of mid-Monday, the association had already booked about 1,000 appointments. Sign-ups are expected to continue on Tuesday if all 3,500 slots have not yet been booked.
The state first reached out to the community late Friday afternoon, and their leadership and the association worked through the weekend to work out all the logistics. Nurses from the Florida Department of Health will administer the vaccines and the National Guard will be on site to assist.
Second-dose appointments will be given to those vaccinated, and the state will return to administer the doses, according to Payrits.
“Everybody is thrilled. They are really, really excited,” he said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
