¶ Seeing red
Earlier this week, we reported on a curious coincidence: that the common trait of the 12 counties that are part of Florida’s growing COVID-19 vaccination partnership with the Publix supermarket chain is that each county is safely Republican. Deep-red Bay, Citrus, Collier, Escambia, Flagler, Hernando, Marion, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, St. Johns, Volusia and Walton counties are currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to Florida seniors 65 years of age and older. Stores offering COVID-19 vaccinations have been getting about 100 to 125 doses
per day.
@Drue Pautz 175,000 individuals 65+ in orange county, all waiting their turn to enroll, being displaced by snowbirds and foreign nationals, and a distribution channel that can serve at most 1,500 a day. Do the math, it’s not a pretty picture.
@Gina Renée This is an abomination. The vaccines should be sent where there is the most need, not based on DeSatan’s political ambitions. He is truly reprehensible.
@Dan Kaye That would be very on-brand for the Republicans. Punish and seek revenge against people who vote against them.
@William Douglas Meade Well-worded, Orlando Weakly, considering DeSantis won 57 of 67 counties it would be tough not to be one.
@Garbtor Georgette I had a store manager say to me, “We got the vaccine because DeSantis LOVES Publix.”
@Lisa Lockwood Doesn’t matter. They are already gone.
¶ Keys to the kingdom
Last week, we wrote about how Republican lawmakers at the state level are increasingly working to overturn local measures approved by clear voter majorities (“Key West proves it: Florida voters care about the environment, but Florida Republicans overrule them,” Jan. 15). In particular, three ballot measures approved by voters in November to protect the natural beauty of Key West are in danger of being overturned by a measure filed by Manatee County Republican Sen. Jim Boyd, who eye-rollingly alleges that these measures threaten “the public’s health, safety and welfare.”
@Ryan Hamilton How the minority party ever got this much control demonstrates how corrupt our system is.
@Christopher Wesley Republican hypocrisy about the “will of the people”? Say it ain’t so!
@Dayv Krayn Republicans hate people actually getting a real vote.
@Jess Bundy Leave it to the Dems that want to control us to write stupid-ass articles.
@Van Butler Team cutting off nose to spite face does it again.