DeSantis defends vaccine clinic accused of favoritism, threatens to send vaccines elsewhere after complaints

Gov. Ron DeSantis stood behind his controversial decision to set up a Lakewood Ranch vaccine pop-up clinic that only serves residents of two wealthy ZIP codes, responding to complaints of favoritism by threating to send vaccines elsewhere next time.

“If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it and we’re totally happy to do that,” DeSantis said of the complaints. “So anyone that’s saying that, let us know, if you want us to send it to Sarasota next time or Charlotte or Pasco or wherever, let us know; we’re happy to do it.”

Manatee County has received complaints from residents who live outside the two targeted ZIP codes about not having access to the vaccine clinic, which is in a wealthy, predominantly white and heavily Republican community developed by one of the governor’s campaign contributors. A majority of county commissioners, mostly Republicans, also criticized how the clinic is distributing vaccines. 

Manatee County employs a lottery system so that everyone who signs up for the vaccine has an equal opportunity to get the next available doses. Some commissioners complained that the Lakewood Ranch clinic undermined the integrity of the lottery system.

But DeSantis wasn’t concerned, saying the clinic received 3,000 extra doses to target an area with a lot of seniors. He noted that county residents outside the two ZIP codes still had the opportunity to get doses through Manatee’s weekly allotment of 6,000, and through Publix.

“It wasn’t a choice about ZIP codes, it was a choice about where’s a high concentration of seniors,” DeSantis said Wednesday.

The governor also shrugged off questions about whether his political donors are getting preferential treatment when it comes to vaccine clinics. Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch contributed to the governor’s 2018 campaign and a member of the family that owns Lakewood Ranch donated to his political committee, although a Lakewood Ranch spokesperson said the family member who donated to DeSantis, Richard Uilhein, doesn't have an ownership interest in SMR or Lakewood Ranch and never has. 

Previous coverage:Vaccine clinics in Lakewood Ranch and Charlotte draw complaints of political favoritism

Also:COVID-19 vaccine clinic coming to Lakewood Ranch this week

“I don’t think there was any type of benefit for that,” DeSantis said when asked if he was rewarding his donors with the vaccine clinic locations.

Manatee County Commission Chair Vanessa Baugh, an ally of the governor who represents Lakewood Ranch and appeared with DeSantis at Wednesday’s press conference, told commissioners Tuesday that the governor reached out to Schroeder-Manatee Ranch President and CEO Rex Jensen about hosting a clinic, and Jensen asked her to help coordinate the event.

Baugh said it was her decision to restrict the vaccines to the two ZIP codes. Commissioners blasted that decision Tuesday.

“The way that it’s played out has been really bad,” said Manatee County Commissioner Misty Servia, adding: “It does have the appearance of being really selective.”

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Commissioner Reggie Bellamy said he is concerned that residents will lose faith in the lottery system.

“All of us are going to have a tough time having our constituents believe that the pool cannot be compromised,” Bellamy said.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, who appeared with DeSantis at the press conference Wednesday, said afterward that “what’s done is done” and he’s happy to get 3,000 extra vaccine doses for the Lakewood Ranch clinic, but he wants to use the countywide lottery system for future vaccination events.

Kruse said it’s in the “best interest of our integrity to continue on with what we’re doing and do it completely equitable.”

DeSantis said there shouldn’t be any complaints, though, and that instead people should simply be “thankful” to get more vaccine.

“If there’s going to be folks that are gonna complain about getting more vaccines, I’ll tell you what, I mean I wouldn’t be complaining, I’d be thankful that we’re able to do it,” DeSantis said. “Because you know what we didn’t need to do this at all. We saw a need, we wanted to get the numbers up for seniors so the logical thing was to go to where there’s a high concentration to seniors.”

The governor’s threats to direct vaccines where there aren’t complaints drew stinging responses from some elected officials.

“Gov. DeSantis has made a choice to prioritize affluent neighborhoods in Manatee County over our underserved populations knowing the numbers are criminally low when it comes to equitable distribution of this vaccine,” said state Rep. Michele Rayner, a St. Petersburg Democrat who represents portions of Manatee County with large numbers of minority residents. “Today, DeSantis doubled down on his decision and added that efforts would go to areas where his leadership isn’t being criticized. This is not the time to score political points while people are dying. It is time to take a sobering look at the numbers that have been released and act accordingly to bring aid to all Floridians.”

Manatee County had vaccinated 41,480 people as of Tuesday, but only 757 (1.8%) of those vaccinated are Black and 1,039 (2.5%) are Hispanic even though 9% of the county is Black and 17% is Hispanic.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, also criticized the governor over the Lakewood Ranch clinic and his remarks Wednesday.

“There is no reason that Gov. DeSantis should be rationing vaccines based on political influence,” she said. “This is troubling and potentially illegal. Vaccines should be distributed to counties based on need, capacity, and science. While I am disappointed in the governor using vaccines as a political tool, I plan on working with the Biden administration to ensure they do not penalize Floridians for his actions and continue to ramp up vaccine distribution to all communities, so that we can get our economy and state going again.”

Another vaccine pop-up clinic that was held last week at the Kings Gate community in Charlotte County also is generating questions of political favoritism.

The Charlotte County pop-up clinic was held over three days last week in Kings Gate, a gated Benderson Development community where Pat Neal builds homes. Both Benderson and Neal are politically-connected developers. Neal, a former state senator who has long been active in GOP politics, said in a press release that he was asked by DeSantis to help coordinate the vaccination effort.

Charlotte and other counties use a state registration system that signs people up and distributes the vaccine to them based on their place in line. But Kings Gate handled the vaccination appointments at the pop-up clinic held there and sent an email to residents stating “rest assured Kings Gate residents will receive priority” in getting access to the 3,000 vaccine doses, according to the Charlotte Sun, which reported that the neighboring communities of Maple Leaf and Port Charlotte Village also were notified of the vaccination effort.

Harvey Goldstein, a member of the Charlotte County GOP’s executive committee who lives in the nearby Deep Creek neighborhood, said it felt like his neighbors were allowed to cut in line. 

“Why would you do it that way when you have all these people here who have been sitting and waiting? It just didn’t make any sense, it didn’t seem fair to me,” Goldstein said.

Benderson Development has contributed $50,000 to the governor’s political committee.

Goldstein, 81, noted that Benderson Development ”swings a heavy club in Tallahassee” and has “some very good connections.”

Kruse acknowledged that holding the pop-up vaccination clinic in Lakewood Ranch might look like a political favor, saying, “I could see how someone might make that assumption or impression.”

But Kruse added that “I think Gov. DeSantis has a lot of things going on simultaneously; I don’t think somebody donating $1,000 to his campaign is going to individually sway a decision to move 3,000 doses.”