Emails show how upscale Sarasota County community got special vaccine access statesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.”
A pair of COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics in Lakewood Ranch and Charlotte County are drawing complaints of political favoritism, with the issue roiling the Manatee County Commission on Tuesday as officials complained that residents in two ZIP codes were given preferential treatment.
The Lakewood Ranch clinic kicks off Wednesday, lasts for three days and is limited to residents in two ZIP codes in wealthier, whiter and strongly Republican areas of Manatee County. Those ZIP codes include communities developed by the politically connected Schroeder-Manatee Ranch and represented by GOP commission Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh, who is closely aligned with Gov. Ron DeSantis.