‘Disgusting abuse of power.’ Protesters demand Baugh resign after Lakewood Ranch vaccine event

About 30 protesters gathered outside the Manatee County administration building Tuesday morning to demand the immediate resignation of Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, after she organized a special COVID-19 vaccine event in Lakewood Ranch and put herself and others on a VIP list to get shots.

Baugh drew fire after it was learned she had directed county staff to reserve 3,000 doses of vaccine for residents 65 and older who live in two Lakewood Ranch zip codes, counter to policy set by the commission to randomly draw names from the county’s vaccine standby pool. Emails also revealed that Baugh had put herself, Lakewood Ranch developer Rex Jensen, Jensen’s father and two former neighbors of hers on the VIP list.

The commissioner apologized the next day, but for many, the apology did not go far enough.

“Honestly, what she said was deeply disappointing and was not an apology,” said Robyne Richardson, who organized Tuesday’s protest. “She apologized to the people who received blow back from her actions and said she would do the same thing again. That is not an apology.”

Richardson said Baugh should resign immediately, and at the very least, the commission should remove Baugh as their chairwoman.

“I believe she doesn’t believe she did anything wrong,” Richardson said. “Nor do I believe she cares.”

Richardson said Baugh’s actions were a, “disgusting abuse of power.”

Kevin Wright disagreed and came out as the lone supporter of Baugh on Tuesday morning. Wright said he personally called Baugh the day after the news broke and she admitted she made a mistake and planned her public apology.

Wright acknowledged Baugh’s actions were “egregious, but she apologized and I don’t see this as an impeachable offense.”

Wright called Tuesday’s actions a political ploy,“by the disruptive left,” and believes the commission has been under attack by “anarchists who disagree with her politics and it has to stop. The voters made their choice in November, pretty decidedly so. It’s not up to these people out here. If they want to do something, they can do it in the elections.”

It’s why Doug Graf thought it was important for him to be there.

“I’m a white Republican,” Graf said. “I didn’t want this seen as a partisan event because the left gets all the media. I thought Baugh’s apology was no apology at all. ... It was a slap in the face.”

Graf said he came out to show that Baugh’s actions had caused him to distrust his own local government.

Missy Head said it wasn’t political for her, either.

“I’m a gay Republican so that has nothing to do with it,” Head said.

Head moved to Manatee County two years ago and said, somewhat jokingly, what the commission has done in that time, “is so typical of Florida. People of Manatee County are disenfranchised. I understand politics are played under the table sometimes, but this is different. This affects people’s lives.”

For Nathan Levinson, it was just the final straw in a long series of issues he has with the commission.

“It’s disgusting and shameful,” he said.

This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 10:16 AM.