Letters to the editor | Lakewood Ranch residents get special access to COVID-19 vaccines. Readers react

‘Arrogance at its worst’

Nothing in this entire year-long pandemic has been more disheartening, appalling, and disgusting to me than the blatant favoritism shown by Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh and Gov. Ron DeSantis in deciding to set up a pop-up vaccine distribution site for the wealthy of Lakewood Ranch, including Ms. Baugh herself. Manatee’s ridiculous lottery system, was clearly inadequate for Ms. Baugh, but fine for other residents of Manatee County. She and Governor DeSantis should have just been open and honest about their intent to set up a priority vaccine list for those who contribute the most to their campaigns, to those in their own neighborhood, or to those with one of the highest net worths in the county. At least then we would have known where we, the other citizens over 65 (many with health issues), the poor, the minorities, and the middle class stood.

There is no reason, excuse, defense, justification, snide remark about Manatee County not wanting the vaccine, or apology, that either can offer to make this right. The vaccines can’t be taken back. Shame on Ms. Baugh and Governor DeSantis!

This is politics and arrogance at its worst. Between this, and the attack on the Capital Building, I am embarrassed and ashamed to be a Republican. Since receiving a COVID vaccine can mean the difference between life and death, I have one final question, “Is this an impeachable offense?”

Linda Mayberry

Bradenton

Tone-deaf Baugh deserves censure

In a contest for tone-deafness, Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh would be the hands-down winner for her role in securing a pop-up COVID 19 vaccination clinic in Lakewood Ranch. By limiting those eligible to get shots there to two Lakewood Ranch ZIP codes, and personally intervening to ensure four friends – and herself – landed on the list, she has undermined citizen confidence in the county’s supposedly blind lottery system determining who gets appointments when.

By taking the unilateral action of deciding who has priority for the clinic, without consulting fellow commissioners, she exceeded her role as commission chair and should be replaced in the chairperson’s role by a commissioner with sounder ethical judgment. It is our understanding the chair looks out for the county as a whole, not just her personal district. How gracious and fair minded it would have been to divide the vaccines among all the commissioners.

Baugh also deserves an official censure by her fellow commissioners, as well as defeat at the polls at her next election.

It’s understood that a drive-up clinic requires a decent amount of real estate to accommodate two lanes of cars and the various check-in, verification and vaccination stations. But the Public Safety Complex in East Bradenton is capable of handling such traffic and is ideally located to serve the most underserved and vulnerable demographic, low-income, minority citizens with limited transportation resources. Why would East Bradenton or Rubonia not be the first locations Baugh thought of when contacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis to host a pop-up clinic, instead of the affluent LWR neighborhoods?

Tone-deafness, that’s why. This politician posing as a defender of conservative values is just another Good Ol’ Girl looking out for her wealthy donors and their expected campaign checks. Not unlike her heroes, Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.

Jo Anne Klement

Bradenton

‘Typical’ DeSantis

Last year our commissioners told us to go on-ine to register for the COVID 19 vaccine. We spent hours trying, finally able to get registered. Several weeks went by and we finally got our call that we had a won a vaccine appointment scheduled for Feb. 18 at Bennett Park. We were elated.

Then our governor decided to skip our county lottery and send 3,000 vaccines to his associate, Vanessa Baugh’s favored zip codes. On Feb. 17, we received a robo call canceling our appointment for the following day because they had no vaccines.

We had to work for our vaccine while our wealthier neighbors at Lakewood Ranch just had to live there. This is typical of our governor. We do have another appointment unless the governor has another whim.

Charles Nichols

Bradenton

Special treatment for Lakewood Ranch is ‘morally disgusting’

We have been in isolation since end February and have patiently awaited being chosen from the “random” Manatee County senior vaccine pool since its concept.

To learn that our governor and a county commissioner have conspired to delve into that senior vaccine pool to create a special mini-vaccine pool for residents in two Lakewood Ranch zip codes is morally disgusting.

This governor sat at the knee of the worst president in our history so often that he could be mistaken for a ventriloquist’s dummy. This same governor who studied the pandemic at the feet of the famous Trumpian, Dr. Scott Atlas. This commissioner, who early-on resisted efforts of the county to make any kind of positive statement FOR wearing masks.

These two are, through their misguided decisions, directly responsible for a certain number of deaths due to COVID-19. And now we can thank them for delaying our vaccinations still longer, while their friends get vaccinated. How many ill-conceived and self-serving poor decisions will they be allowed to make?

This should not have been allowed to happen by the commissioners of Manatee County, nor by the person responsible for the Senior Vaccination Pool, nor the people in charge of the health and safety of our community.

Why do these so called public servants look the other way when selfish, politically motivated decisions are made at the expense of the community?

Stephen Butcher

Bradenton

DeSantis, Baugh carry ‘whiff of decit’

My thanks go out to the Bradenton Herald for printing the story detailing the efforts of Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh and Gov. Ron DeSantis to exclude wealthy residents of Lakewood Ranch from the Vaccine Standby Pool. Now we all know what we suspected: The so-called random lottery process in Manatee County is a ruse. The reality is, if you have money and have an attractive zip code you will get your vaccination long, long, long before the average senior. Manatee’s choice of who receives a vaccination is not impartial nor has it ever been fair or random.

Make no mistake, this is purely a political and financial move on the part of our commissioner and governor. Giving affluent people preferential access to life-saving vaccinations will undoubtedly result in monetary contributions to the governor and the commissioner down the road.

Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Baugh carry the whiff of deceit and favoritism now like a hound dog carries the stench of something he rolled in.

They are an example of self-serving politics and game playing at its lowest. Hopefully, their little stunt will be exposed on the national level for all to view.

Susan Nachand

Sarasota

Baugh destroys county’s vaccine credibility

The establishment of a COVID vaccination site by Commissioner Vanessa Baugh limited to her wealthy constituents in two zip codes is a slap in the face of all Manatee residents that have been waiting in line in the county lottery pool for a vaccination.

The audacity of this women reaches new levels. She didn’t even feel it necessary to discuss it with the entire commission. It must be great to be a king!

COVID is not a political game, rather it is life and death and should be exempt from typical political favors to constituents. In excess of 125,000 residents are waiting in line for their name to be called in the county lottery. The credibility of the entire lottery is now gone.

I am shocked and embarrassed by the actions of our politicians during this crisis. I guess her constituents get to jump the line for other government services they may need.

My wife has been monitoring every web site and tracking all possible avenues for the past two months trying to get a vaccine. Maybe she should stop and just ask Commissioner Baugh.

John L. Conte

Cortez

Vaccine distribution is a ‘disgrace’

I am appalled at finding out about vaccinations being given for residents in two of the most affluent areas in Manatee County. The way the vaccines are being distributed in Manatee County is also a disgrace with the lottery system.

If residents can be selected by zip codes, why are they not being selected by the date they registered?Also, why are they not selected by their age, i.e. 75 or over?

Several weeks ago I attended the commissioners’ meeting at the convention center. At that meeting I offered our mobile home park, Golf Lakes Estates, to be used as a vaccination site. It had previously been used as a testing site this past summer.

I hope you will make some changes to the current procedures.

Connie Geth

Bradenton

Here’s how to get a vaccine in Manatee County

I read with much interest about Vanessa Baugh’s effort to secure 3,000 doses of COVID vaccine for her constituents. I was further struck by the fact that Governor Ron DeSantis (thought to be governor of all Floridians) reached out to her to secure the site and vaccines for this select group of Floridians. I can only assume that this group was targeted for preferential treatment for a reason?

Now, if the rest of my fellow county residents could be advised of the criteria to receive preferential treatment we might have an equitable vaccine offering.

Lacking such information may I suggest that you need to be Republican and donate?

James F. Tierney

Bradenton

Vaccine lottery waiting list is not working

I have been on the COVID-19 vaccine waiting list since Jan. 11. I have now heard that Lakewood Ranch will be getting doses for certain zip codes. I am not in those two codes. How is this fair to those of us who have been waiting a month or more?

What should happen is the first people in line on the waiting list should be getting these vaccines. The waiting list lotter is not working.

I guess that the people getting these are those who voted for Gov. Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump, just like those at The Villages or Sun City Center north of us.

Judith Crosby

Bradenton

Lakewood Ranch’s ‘elite’ get their vaccines

To: Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Carol Whitmore, George Kruse:

As constituents, we are writing to express disappointment that you have not provided the residents of our zip code with the level of personal, exclusive, concierge-level COVID vaccine service that Commissioner Vanessa Baugh has obtained for the residents of Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas. Really, it seems like all she had to do was pick up the phone and call the governor! Now about 50% of her constituents will get the vaccine by the end of the week.

You guys must be slackers.

We’ve been satisfied to be entered into the Manatee County database, along with tens of thousands of non-Manatee residents, politely awaiting our turn. We finally ended up taking an appointment at the state-run University Mall vaccine site in Tampa this Sunday. We waited in our car for a total of 6 hours and 50 minutes for the long line of cars to snake through the mall parking lots before getting our shots. And we’ll have to do it all over again for the second dose.

But we’re fine with that.

How nice that the elite folks in Lakewood Ranch find their government so responsive and are being spared the stress of waiting to be randomly selected or enduring long lines.

Like the rest of us.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm.

James Benn and Deborah Mandel

Bradenton

Vaccine unfairness

While thousands of Manatee residents are frustrated by the random selection of vaccine appointments, the governor, rich developers and a county commission agree to set up an exclusive vaccine site in Lakewood Ranch.

Vanessa Baugh looked out for her own voters instead of taking the opportunity to work with other commissioners to suggest that additional doses could go to communities that have experienced greater impact from COVID.

When will fairness enter into this?

Tom Ehren

Anna Maria

This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 4:21 PM.