UPDATE: Republican Congressman Steve Scalise is pushing back.
"Democrats’ approach to the pandemic is all about following politics, not the science. Governor DeSantis is rightly prioritizing seniors for vaccination since they are the most vulnerable to COVID-19, but Democrats shamefully slander his efforts because they only see the pandemic through the lens of politics. Governor DeSantis’ efforts led to almost 50 percent of all Florida seniors to be vaccinated," Scalise released in a statement.
"Unfortunately, this is part of the Democrats’ broader smear campaign to villainize Republican governors like DeSantis who are following the science during the pandemic by keeping their economies open and prioritizing seniors’ safety. At the same time, Democrats are bailing out governors who continue to fail to save jobs, reopen schools, and distribute the vaccine to the most vulnerable. Many Democrat governors have made terrible, unscientific decisions that led to higher death and unemployment rates within their states. We urge Select Subcommittee Democrats to investigate Governor Cuomo, who purposefully put seniors in danger, instead of governors like DeSantis who chose to prioritize senior safety,” he continued.
***Original post***
As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis continues to make Democrats look even more incompetent for their handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the target on his back is getting bigger.
Despite handling the pandemic more effectively than any blue state governor and prioritizing vaccinations for elderly populations, Democrats want to launch an investigation into his handling of the vaccine rollout.
"The sole Democrat elected to statewide office in Florida is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives coronavirus committee to investigate the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, for 'alleged political favoritism' in coronavirus vaccine distribution," Yahoo reports. "That call comes in a letter that Florida’s agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, will send on Monday morning to Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who heads the coronavirus committee, and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, its ranking Republican member."
NEW: A second Democrat, @nikkifried, calls for an investigation of Florida governor Ron DeSantis over vaccine distribution.https://t.co/1gPeVI8lSf
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) March 1, 2021
DeSantis' record speaks for itself.
Today the state announced the establishment of six COVID-19 vaccination sites — in addition to our Pahokee site — to provide greater access to the vaccine in underserved communities in the following counties: Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, and Osceola. pic.twitter.com/RP2Zyc3Hf0
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 25, 2021
Florida has vaccinated millions of seniors representing over 50% of our senior population. Counties with noteworthy coverage of seniors include:
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 1, 2021
St. Johns - 78% (of seniors vaccinated)
Leon - 73%
Nassau - 71 %
Alachua - 67%
Indian River - 67%
Great job!
In Florida, we have put Seniors First from day one and I’m pleased to announce that starting tomorrow we are providing vaccines directly to seniors at the Venice Municipal Airport Festival Fairgrounds. @HealthyFla will vaccinate 4,000 people over two days at this site.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 26, 2021
Last week DeSantis talked about Florida's handling of the pandemic during a speech at CPAC.