- Florida government Ron DeSantis has criticized the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in his state.
- One affluent community was vaccinated in January while the rest of the state struggled, the Miami Herald reported.
- One resident, former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, donated $ 250,000 to DeSantis a month later.
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Nearly every eligible resident of a segregated community in the Florida Keys was vaccinated in mid-January because the rest of the state struggled to get doses, the Miami Herald reports.
Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo has vaccinated nearly all of its 65-and-more residents, according to a January 22 email reviewed by the Herald.
“We are fortunate to have received enough vaccines to secure the first and second for vaccines,” the newsletter said, acknowledging that most of the state was in a very different situation. “At the moment, however, the majority of the state has not yet allocated the first doses of vaccines for this week and beyond, and the timing of subsequent deliveries remains unclear.”
The Herald’s report comes amid ongoing criticism of the Florida government, Ron DeSantis.
Residents of Ocean Reef Club include wealthy political donors. Famous people, including President Joe Biden, stay there when they visit the Keys.
Seventeen residents of Key Largo donated to DeSantis, according to The Herald, and all live in Ocean Reef. One resident made a hefty donation about a month after the community was vaccinated.
Former Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner donated $ 250,000 to DeSantis on February 25, the Herald reported.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DeSantis defended its vaccine distribution plan in February after local officials expressed concern about a vaccination center opening in Manatee County that would serve zip codes that are considered rich, white and conservative. Critics said the plan would bypass the state’s lottery system.
According to DeSantis, the area was chosen based on the high concentration of elderly people.
“We saw a need. We want to increase the numbers for seniors,” DeSantis said at a news conference on February 17. “If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing it, it’s good for us to put it in provinces that want it, and we’re totally happy to do it.”
Questions have also been raised about at least one other vaccine clinic in a luxury setting, CNN reports.
A clinic in Charlotte County has invited residents of affluent neighborhoods in a resort to be vaccinated and bypassed other seniors on the county’s waiting list who, according to CNN, do not live in the communities.
CNN reports that large donors to DeSantis also lived in the communities invited to be vaccinated.