February 18, 2021 ☼ florida ☼ desantis ☼ vaccine ☼ pandemic ☼ gop
Source: The Washington Post - Link
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) unveiled a “pop-up” clinic offering coveted coronavirus vaccines in an affluent, mostly White part of Manatee County, Fla., lawmakers on both sides of the aisle slammed the plan for excluding residents in the rest of the county.
But on Wednesday, the governor offered no apologies, warning that he could instead take the doses elsewhere.
“If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “We’re totally happy to do that.”
As wealthy individuals in Florida and around the country snap up a disproportionate number of vaccination appointments, critics say DeSantis’s plan for the “pop-up” clinic near Tampa is only bound to widen disparities.
Some jurisdictions have targeted Zip codes that were hit especially hard by the virus, but many in Manatee County fear DeSantis’s plan will do the opposite, benefiting residents of an area who have fared relatively well — including some with ties to the governor.
Today’s GOP seems to view giving government favors as part of their campaign strategy. Trump certainly did by withholding aid from Puerto Rico and California. DeSantis is just following the maximum leader.