Ethics complaint on Manatee commissioner’s COVID vaccine VIP list is moving forward
Florida’s state ethics commission will move forward with a complaint against Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, finding sufficient evidence that she abused her office by organizing an exclusive COVID-19 vaccine event and ordering staff to place her name at the top of the list.
Baugh, who helped organize a vaccine pop-up site for two of the county’s wealthiest ZIP codes in Lakewood Ranch, also sent an email that included sign-up information for five people, including herself.
In an investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, county staff said it was their understanding that Baugh’s email was direct guidance to ensure that everyone on that list would receive the vaccine. Following Baugh’s order, each person on the list was specifically pulled from the registration list to schedule an appointment.
On Friday, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that the ethical complaints filed against Baugh are legally sufficient. The state board is expected to review the case at a later date before recommending a penalty or a public administrative hearing.
“Probable cause was found to believe Ms. Baugh violated the constitutional amendment prohibiting the abuse of office to obtain a disproportionate benefit by placing her own name at the top of Manatee County’s randomly selected list of recipients to receive a COVID-19 vaccination,” a press release sent early Wednesday afternoon said.
“In addition, probable cause was found to believe Ms. Baugh misused her position or public resources to assign vaccine distribution priority to serve specific individuals and zip codes, contrary to Manatee County’s COVID-19 vaccination policy,” the commission’s statement went on to say.
Baugh did not respond to call for comment on Wednesday afternoon. Baugh’s lawyer, George Levesque, provided a written statement saying the decision is “not an adjudication of guilt.”
“It was by no means a unanimous decision, which speaks to the real concerns as to whether any law was violated and the complex nature of these types of cases, Levesque wrote.
“Some commissioners noted the clear political nature of the attacks, expressing significant reservations with moving forward. We look forward to this next phase of the proceeding to bring truth and perspective to the allegations and to demonstrate that Commissioner Baugh did not violate any law and did not violate any of her ethical obligations to her constituents,” he continued.
Friday’s ruling also aligns with the sheriff’s office’s investigation, which determined that Baugh did not break the law but that her orders “may present certain ethical issues” because she “knowingly and intentionally attempted to obtain a benefit for herself and others,” according to the investigator’s report.
Vaccine lottery system
February’s pop-up site was one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ early attempts to provide more vaccines in senior communities. At the time, only 3,200 vaccines were made available for the site in Lakewood Ranch.
Just weeks before the exclusive pop-up clinic, the Manatee Board of County Commissioners voted to approve the Vaccine Standby Pool — a lottery system that allowed residents countywide to be randomly selected for vaccine appointments as they became available.
Baugh, who ultimately chose not to receive the vaccine at the pop-up, came under fire from residents and fellow commissioners after the Bradenton Herald reported on her email directive.
Board members said Baugh’s decision undermined the fairness and the purposeful random nature of the lottery system that the county had been using to distribute vaccines.
As she addressed her fellow board members during a public meeting to apologize for her actions, Baugh said she only sent the email because she did not see any of those five names, including her own, in the list of more than 7,000 Lakewood Ranch residents who were eligible to receive the vaccine.
An investigator with the sheriff’s office reviewed the same list of eligible residents and found Baugh’s name, as well as two of the other names she included in her email.
Rex Jensen, CEO of Lakewood Ranch developer Schroder-Manatee Ranch, reached out to Baugh after the DeSantis administration contacted him. The governor’s office said it needed local assistance to organize a vaccine clinic targeting senior communities with low vaccination rates.
In interviews with the sheriff’s office, DeSantis’ staffers distanced themselves from the controversy, saying it was Baugh’s decision to restrict the clinic to two ZIP codes in her own district. At least two state officials told the sheriff’s office that the event was meant to target all of Manatee County, not just Lakewood Ranch.
Cheri Coryea, the county administrator at the time, urged Baugh to open up the vaccines to everyone in the county. She said the choice to limit access to vaccines could be seen as favoritism, according to her interview with the sheriff’s office.
Despite expressing their concerns about the plan, county officials said Baugh leaned on them to follow her instructions. According to the sheriff’s office’s report, when senior staff pushed back on that approach, Baugh told them “I’m the chair. Is the chair not good enough?”
The VIP list scandal led some of Baugh’s fellow commissioners to try and remove her from her position as chair of the board. As chair, Baugh signs certain documents on behalf of the commission and conducts their public meetings.
Each attempt failed as commissioners decided to accept Baugh’s public apology and put the situation behind them. The Manatee County Commission will meet on Dec. 14 to determine who will serve as the board’s chair in 2022.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
