Governor Ron DeSantis and the disparities in the Florida coronavirus vaccine launch led to Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes, CBS’s weekly news program that attracts more than 9 million viewers.
Comparing vaccine implantation in the state with the Hunger Games book and film series, reporter Sharyn Alfonsi highlighted examples in which wealthy communities had priority access to the vaccine, including Rancho Lakewood in Manatee County.
The segment also questioned the state’s plan to distribute doses through Publix due to a $ 100,000 donation by the Lakeland supermarket chain for a DeSantis PAC weeks before the vaccine was announced.
A Publix spokesman denied the program that there was any connection between political donations and vaccine distribution, calling the claim “irresponsible”. So did DeSantis, who refused to appear on the show, but called the pay-for-play allegations a “false narrative” when Alfonsi confronted him south of Orlando.
Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida emergency management division, tweeted on the news program on Sunday night, saying, “I said that before and I will say it again. @Publix was recommended by @FLSERT and @HealthyFla since the other pharmacies were not ready to start. Time course! Full stop! No one from the governor’s office suggested Publix. It is pure nonsense. “
The segment was concentrated in Palm Beach County, where, according to the program, the wealthy city of Palm Beach received 1,000 doses of a limited initial supply. The county is also home to the Belle Glade area, a pocket of low-income communities, mostly black and Latin, where the nearest Publix is 25 miles away.
“At the beginning of this pandemic, blacks, Hispanics, people of color, we endured the full force of this pandemic,” said Representative Omari Hardy, D-West Palm Beach, on the program. “Overrepresented in hospitalizations. Overrepresented in deaths. And now, at the end of the pandemic, we are supporting your full strength as well. Because we don’t have the same access to the vaccine. “
The segment is based on previous reports from several Florida media outlets.
Vaccines for Florida’s Wealthy
Publix Distribution
The reactions of Florida politicians rolled on Sunday night on party lines. Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist said in a statement that the 60 minutes report was “terrible”.
“In Florida from Governor DeSantis, money and power dominate and everyone else is behind the line,” said Crist, from St. Petersburg. “This insensitive, cruel and compassionate policy makes Hunger Games an appropriate metaphor. “
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said 60 minutes he was “exposing the nation” to DeSantis’ failures.
State Representative Michele Rayner-Goolsby, a Democrat whose district includes Manatee County, said she had questions for the governor.
A Florida Republican Party official was not a fan, calling the segment a “hit piece”.
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