DeSantis Suggests He Would possibly Divert Vaccines to Elements of Florida That Aren’t Criticizing Him

On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) appeared to be suggesting at a press conference at Lakewood Ranch that if district officials want to criticize the way he distributes vaccines, he would be happy to divert vaccines from districts that are critical to him into districts where there are none. t.

“If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we’re perfectly fine taking this to counties that want it,” DeSantis said. “We really enjoy doing that. So who’s saying that, let us know if next time you’d like us to send to Sarasota or Charlotte or Pasco, wherever, we’ll be happy to do it. But I think most people will want it when we have the opportunity to bring vaccines and do it efficiently. “

Some Manatee County officials criticized a vaccine popup on the Lakewood Ranch.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, “DeSantis contacted the developer of the Lakewood Ranch and offered to set up an exclusive vaccination center.”

But not all residents of the county can get the vaccine.

“Instead, they are exclusively reserved for residents of zip codes 34202 and 34211, which cover most of the Manatee County portion of the Lakewood Ranch and other more affluent neighborhoods in East Manatee that are not as badly affected by coronavirus infections as other parts of the county. ” The Tampa Bay Times reported.

DeSantis has also been criticized for its decision to give the son of an ally of former President Donald Trump’s unrestricted pandemic management contracts. Recently, a top DeSantis aide resigned after attacking a reporter for trying to remember COVID-19 victims.

See below:

Casual mistake? @GovRonDeSantis is a famous fight against the media, saying today that public criticism of vaccine distribution in parts of Florida could redirect vaccines to areas where there is no political criticism of its efforts. Https://t.co/jqETqNjI9T pic.twitter.com/Idy4mfTJdk

– Ted Bridis (@tbridis) February 17, 2021

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license