Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks holding his mask during a news conference to address the increase in coronavirus cases in the state at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on July 13, 2020.
Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images
The Florida commissioner of agriculture on Monday called for a Congressional investigation into Governor Ron DeSantis about “alleged political favoritism” in the distribution of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine by his state.
Nikki Fried, the state’s Democratic agriculture commissioner, noted that at least three “pop-up” vaccination sites were “organized in wealthy donor-affiliated communities for the governor’s political campaigns.”
Fried, who has long been a staunch critic of DeSantis, asked Congress to investigate in a letter sent Monday morning to Dep. James Clyburn, DS.C., chairman of the coronavirus crisis committee, and Dep. Steve Scalise, R-La., His Republican member in the ranking.
“My office has received frequent complaints about the uneven distribution of vaccines,” wrote Fried in the letter, obtained by CNBC. She continued to accuse DeSantis of “inept distribution of vaccines, at best, and corrupt political sponsorship, at worst.” The letter was first reported by Yahoo Finance.
DeSantis’ office did not return CNBC’s request to comment on the allegations.
Fried cited news about the three so-called pop-up vaccination sites. In the first case, “DeSantis allowed private developers with political connections to distribute the life-saving drug to residents of their luxury communities, bypassing the systems in place to ensure equitable access to vaccines,” reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Fried cited other reports, too, of pop-up vaccination sites that appear in affluent neighborhoods, allegedly linked to DeSantis donors.
“Given the myriad serious questions about the governor’s impartiality and potential political corruption in the distribution of life-saving vaccines, I encourage your committee to initiate a Congressional investigation into Florida’s vaccine distribution procedures, including compelling the production of any depositions. , records and documents that you find necessary, “wrote Fried.
Fried also sent a letter to DeSantis on Monday morning, asking him to suspend Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh from public office. Baugh, wrote Fried, is under investigation for allegedly “putting herself, her friends and family on a list of VIP vaccines”. Baugh also selected his district, two wealthy zip codes, to receive additional doses of vaccine from the state, Fried wrote.
Baugh apologized for what he called a “trial lapse”, according to a statement obtained by ABC7 WWSB. Baugh did not immediately return CNBC’s request for comment.
It is the second time that a Florida Democrat has called for a federal investigation into the treatment of DeSantis for the launch of the vaccine. On February 21, Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., Sent a letter to the Department of Justice, asking them to investigate reports that DeSantis established vaccination sites “in locations selected to benefit political allies and donors, about the needs of the most at-risk communities and waiting lists in the county. “
Notably, both Fried and Crist were cited in reports as potential challengers to DeSantis governor.
“As reported by various media outlets, the governor is creating ‘pop-up’ vaccination sites to deliver doses to selected communities,” wrote Crist, another longtime critic of DeSantis. “The CEPs in question have the highest income levels and the lowest COVID infection rates in the county.”