Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend Manatee County Commission Chair Vanessa Baugh over allegations she created a vaccine priority list that included herself and a prominent developer.
Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, also sent a letter to Congress Monday asking for an investigation into “potential political corruption” related to vaccine pop-up clinics that were organized by DeSantis donors in Southwest Florida and that benefited residents in communities developed by those donors.
Fried has ramped up her criticism of DeSantis as she contemplates running for governor against him in 2022.
Her letters quote articles written by the Herald-Tribune and other news outlets about the vaccine pop-up clinics.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is being accused of playing politics with pop-up vaccine locations, but is it true they are being used to benefit wealthy Republicans areas?
1 month ago Share Attorney George Levesque s response calls Michael Barfield s complaint against Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh ridiculous and false.
The attorney for Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh issued a statement Friday on Baugh s behalf in response to what he termed as ridiculous and false allegations levied by Sarasota s Michael Barfield.
Barfield, the board president for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, filed a complaint with the Manatee County Sheriff s Office about Baugh s role in setting up a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch that had been requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The complaint also concerns Baugh sending a list of five names herself, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen, Lawrence Jensen and two of Baugh’s neighbors to Public Safety Director Jacob Saur as names for vaccination requested Feb. 15, two days before the site opened.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is being accused of playing politics with pop-up vaccine locations, but is it true they are being used to benefit wealthy Republicans areas?
Florida county commissioner is investigated for organizing VIP pop-up vaccine drive-thru for residents of two affluent zip codes - and then bumping herself to top of list
The Manatee County Sheriff s Office said it has launched an investigation into County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh to determine if she broke state laws
Baugh, a Republican, organized the three-day pop-up vaccination drive at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch last week
Governor Ron DeSantis had selected the site for the vaccine pop-up
But Baugh admitted last week she limited the rollout to seniors living in the 34202 and 34211 zip codes
Both postcodes are among the wealthiest in the entire state