Portrayal Of Florida Vaccine Program By CBS Flawed: DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis late this week struck back after CBS's "60 Minutes" aired a less-than-flattering portrayal of Florida's vaccination program accusing the Republican governor of playing politics with coronavirus vaccines.

In a story about Florida's vaccine rollout, CBS correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi asserted that DeSantis formed a partnership with Lakeland-based Publix grocery stores to distribute 500,000 vaccines, which Publix could then bill to Medicare at $40 a shot.

She questioned whether the governor had a conflict of interest in light of the fact that the governor's political action committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, received a $100,000 donation from the company.

Alfonsi also questioned DeSantis' decision to host pop-up vaccination clinics in wealthy communities in Palm Beach County, while just 25 miles away, poor minority communities were overlooked.

During a news conference on Thursday, DeSantis addressed what he called "various misrepresentations and smears" by "60 Minutes."

“CBS and '60 Minutes' have a playbook: lie with impunity, smear their political opponents and deceptively edit out the facts that eviscerate their bogus, partisan narratives,” said DeSantis. “From the beginning of vaccine distribution, Florida has prioritized our most vulnerable, our seniors and our underserved communities. These efforts have been incredibly successful and effective. However, CBS and '60 Minutes' are dedicated to leaving the truth on the cutting room floor.”

DeSantis disputed CBS's representation of Florida's vaccine rollout, saying the state never gave Publix exclusive rights to administer the vaccine in Palm Beach County.

In fact, in December when the state received the first vaccines, CVS and Walgreens were recruited to vaccinate all nursing home residents and 99 percent of residents in assisted living facilities in Palm Beach County.

He also argued that underserved communities were included in the effort. The first faith-based vaccination mission in Palm Beach County took place Jan. 16 at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, a largely Black church in West Palm Beach. In all, he said the state sponsored 11 faith-based vaccination missions at Palm Beach County churches in underserved areas.

“Truth doesn’t wear a political jersey. The division has focused since Day 1 on vaccinating people as quickly as possible,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz. “We used a multi-pronged approach, and I was glad that we were one of the first to turn on the pharmacy program.”

In its defense, “60 Minutes” released a statement Tuesday:

When Florida state data revealed people of color were vaccinated at a much lower rate than their wealthier neighbors, 60 MINUTES reported the facts surrounding the vaccine’s rollout, which is controlled by the governor. We requested and conducted interviews with dozens of sources and authorities involved. We requested an interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis, he declined. We spoke to State Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz twice, but he declined to be interviewed on camera for our story until well after our deadline. The idea we ignored their perspective is untrue. Counter to his statement yesterday, we also spoke on the record with Palm Beach County Mayor David Kerner. For over 50 years, the facts reported by 60 MINUTES have often stirred debate and prompted strong reactions. Our story Sunday night speaks for itself.

Among those coming to DeSantis' defense was the nonprofit St. Petersburg-based Poynter Institute, which specializes journalistic ethics and fact-checking.

"If that is true — if DeSantis ran a 'pay-for-play' scheme involving vaccinations for the coronavirus — that’s an explosive story," said Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones. "But '60 Minutes' really didn’t deliver substantial evidence that DeSantis did any such thing."

A copy of the governor’s full presentation is available here.

Florida Department of Health Coronavirus Dashboard

Meanwhile, the state's positivity rate has leveled out at 6.51 percent. Throughout February and March, the positivity rate has fluctuated between just under 6 percent to just under 7 percent.

As of Thursday, 2,072,053 Florida residents have tested positive for the coronavirus with 86,706 residents requiring hospitalization and 33,968 deaths.

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