Manatee Commissioner Baugh settles ethics charge for role in COVID-19 vaccine fiasco
Just one day before the hearing was set to begin, County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh settled an ethics charge about her role in a controversial COVID-19 vaccine event.
According to court records, a representative for the Florida Commission on Ethics filed the motion to cancel the Nov. 1 hearing Monday afternoon. The details of the settlement agreement have not been disclosed.
The motion said Baugh and the commission “have reached a settlement agreement in principle.”
In March 2021, Baugh came under fire after the Bradenton Herald reported that she had played a pivotal role in planning a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine site in Lakewood Ranch. An investigation found that Baugh directed county staff to make the 3,000 vaccines available only to residents in two Lakewood Ranch ZIP codes.
Baugh also sent an email with the subject line “Names for list,” including the names of former neighbors, a Lakewood Ranch developer and herself, to ensure they received appointments. County staffers said they were ordered to schedule appointments for the five people listed in Baugh’s email.
The controversy made national headlines. Some local residents participated in protests calling for Baugh to resign from the board. The Florida Commission on Ethics received 17 different complaints alleging that Baugh had misused her position as a commissioner.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office also investigated a criminal complaint filed against Baugh, who has served on the Manatee Board of County Commissioners since 2012. Investigators said Baugh did not break the law but that the evidence “clearly indicates” that the commissioner “knowingly and intentionally attempted to obtain a benefit for herself and others.”
Before Monday’s motion to dismiss the planned hearing, the Florida Commission on Ethics was set to make a judgment on the case against Baugh.
In December, the commission found probable cause that Baugh had abused her office, which allowed the case to move forward.
Bradenton Herald reporter Jessica De Leon contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 6:52 PM.