According to the Bradenton Herald, the Florida government, Ron DeSantis (R), has set up a COVID vaccination site exclusively for two of the richest zip codes in Manatee County.
Why it matters: For weeks, the province has been trying to convince its 180,000 residents, aged 65 and over, who have applied for the state’s vaccination pool, that the selection process is random.
- Lakewood Ranch is predominantly white and strong Republican – and developed by Rex Jensen, a contributor to the DeSantis campaign, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
- The median income in the two postal codes is more than double the country’s total median income. Both zip codes did not see as many COVID cases as other parts of the country.
What happened: Country commissioners expressed their shock that their colleague, Vanessa Baugh, was working with the governor’s office and Jensen to establish the site.
- “I fought like hell to show people that the lottery is equal and that we can not endanger the system,” said Commissioner Reggie Bellamy.
- “There is no reason for the DeSantis government to ration vaccines based on political influence,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried added. “This is worrying and possibly illegal.”
The other side: On the charges of favoritism, DeSantis threatened to send future vaccination sites to other locations.
- “If Manatee County does not like us doing this, it is good for us to place it in provinces that want it,” he said.
Add insult to injury: Late Wednesday, the Herald also reported that Baugh had compiled a GDP list of Lakewood Ranch residents who she wants vaccinated, including Jensen, Jensen’s father, and herself.
This story first appears in the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster with the most important news that appears in their own backyard.