Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis, parts of Florida County, evacuated amid fears of the collapse of the wastewater reservoir. More GOP-led states risk business reaction like Georgia’s Overnight Health Care: CDC says fully vaccinated people can travel safely Biden laments those acting as if COVID-19 is fighting | Will vaccine passports be the biggest number in the 2022 campaign? MONTH (R) drastically reduced “60-minute” reports alleging that it channeled state coronavirus vaccines to wealthy communities and privatized vaccine launches to benefit donors while many state minorities fight to gain access to an inoculation.
CBS reporter Sharyn Alfonsi presented a powerful “60 Minutes” report Sunday evening critical of the Florida vaccine launch. Among other allegations, Alfonsi said DeSantis contracted the distribution of coronavirus vaccines to the Publix grocery chain after Publix made a $ 100,000 donation to its political action committee.
DeSantis turned down the interview request, Alfonsi said, but she found him at an event in South Orlando.
“Publix, as you know, gave $ 100,000 to your campaign and then rewarded them with the exclusive rights to distribute the vaccine in Palm Beach,” Alfonsi told the governor.
“So first of all, what you say is wrong,” DeSantis replied. “That’s a false narrative. I met with the county mayor. I met with the administrator. I met with all the people in Palm Beach County and I said, ‘Here are some of the options.’ We can make more places to drive. We can give more to hospitals. We can do Publix. “And they said, ‘We think this would be the easiest thing for our residents.'”
Alfonsi pressured DeSantis, saying his critics say the unfair distribution of vaccines and the award of the contract to the grocery store to distribute vaccine quantities are a “pay-per-play” scheme.
“It’s wrong, it’s a false narrative,” DeSantis said. “I just turned you off from the narration and you don’t care about the facts, because obviously I’ve presented it to you in an irrefutable way. Of course it’s not.”
Alfonsi tried to sound it again, but DeSantis yelled at him, “No, no, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong.”
“What you say is wrong,” Governor DeSantis tells Sharyn Alfonsi in response to a question about whether the grocery store chain Publix gained influence through a campaign donation on her behalf. “It’s wrong. It’s a false narrative,” he says. https://t.co/gyrW9hYPTg pic.twitter.com/5rBq7v5VOA
– 60 minutes (@ 60 minutes) April 4, 2021
Publix said in “60 Minutes” that there is no connection between the supermarket chain’s campaign contributions and its association with the state to administer the vaccine.
State Representative Omari Hardy (D) said in “60 Minutes” that DeSantis’ decision to privatize the deployment of vaccines has not worked for people of color in the state.
He pointed to a low-income community without Publix, meaning that its residents, including the elderly, would have to travel nearly 30 miles to get a vaccine.
“Before I could call the director of public health. She would answer my calls. But now, if I want to get information from my components on how to get this vaccine, do I have to call a Publix lobby? That makes no sense.” , said Hardy. . “They are not accountable to the public.”
The allegations regarding Publix come as DeSantis is already on fire for vaccine deployments in Florida. He has been accused of delivering vaccine doses to wealthy and white communities and of targeting emerging vaccine sites to communities associated with political donors.