Rauner Donated $250K After His Exclusive Club Got COVID Vaccines

ILLINOIS — Former Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner may have been among the first people in Florida to receive a COVID-19 vaccination; soon after, he donated $250,000 to that state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the Miami Herald reports.

A Jan. 22 newsletter from Rauner's exclusive Ocean Reef Club in the Florida Keys touted the fact that more than 1,200 homeowners there had been vaccinated, even as most of the state struggled with shortages.

"Over the course of the last two weeks, the Medical Center has vaccinated over 1,200 homeowners who qualify under the State of Florida’s Governor’s current Order for those individuals who are 65 years of age or older," the newsletter read, according to the Herald. "We are fortunate to have received enough vaccines to ensure both the first and second for those vaccinated. At this time, however, the majority of the State has not received an allocation of first doses of vaccines for this week and beyond, and the timing of any subsequent deliveries remains unclear."

Only about 1,600 people (from 40 states and 20 countries) live part-time in the 2,500-acre enclave, which boasts a private airport, private marina and two championship 18-hole golf courses, according to its website. Condos there start at about half a million dollars, and single-family homes range from $1.5 million to $19 million.

Rauner owns a $7 million waterfront villa with a 72-foot pool and private dock, according to the Chicago Tribune. He sold his Winnetka home for $3 million in July 2019, less than a year after losing the Illinois governor's race to fellow billionaire J.B. Pritzker.

Depending on how many seasonal residents are currently living at the Ocean Reef Club, its vaccination rate could be upward of 75 percent, compared with about 8.5 percent for the rest of the state.

It's not clear if Rauner himself received a vaccine, but the former private equity fund chairman donated a quarter of a million dollars to DeSantis' campaign fund just a week after he turned 65 — the state's vaccine cutoff age, according to the Herald.

DeSantis has raised millions in campaign donations since the vaccine rollout started, including thousands from 17 Republican donors who call the Ocean Reef Club home. They were the only people from Key Largo to donated to the governor's campaign, the Herald reported, adding that DeSantis has raised $2.7 million in February alone — more than in any month since 2018.

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