Baugh Ethics Hearing Canceled after Settlement Reached

MANATEE – An administrative hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 1 was canceled after Manatee County District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh and an advocate for the Florida Commission on Ethics agreed to a settlement. The hearing was intended to hear witnesses and evidence in support of probable ethics violations committed by the commissioner regarding "Vaccinegate," as well as her defense.

Ethics complaints were made against Baugh in response to her part in a controversial state-run COVID-19 vaccine "pop-up site" held at the Premier Sports Complex in early 2021. Public records showed that Baugh played a significant role in organizing the site, including directing staff to circumvent the county's officially established random lottery system for vaccine appointments and restricting appointments to only residents from two zip codes within her own district. In addition, it was revealed that Baugh also emailed a list of five names, including herself, of individuals to be included on the appointment list at the pop-up site without being drawn from the lottery pool.

In total, 18 separate ethics complaints were filed against Baugh for her actions. Because the complaints were focused on the same incidents and concerns of possible ethics violations, they were consolidated into a singular ethics case.

In December 2021, the commission on ethics found probable cause in the complaint and assigned a state advocate to the proceedings. An initial administrative law hearing was scheduled for August of this year, but Baugh’s counsel requested a continuance which was without objection by the advocate. The hearing was rescheduled to be held November 1-3.

On the afternoon of October 31, a day before the hearing was to be held, the docket of the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings showed that Baugh and the state advocate had come to a settlement agreement in principle, and an order was filed and granted by the court to cancel the hearing.

The ethics proceedings have not been the only consequence of Baugh's actions. The controversy also included a criminal complaint, immense public outcry, and even motions made by fellow commissioners to remove her from her position as commission chair.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office investigated the criminal complaint and reported to have found no evidence of criminal violations. Despite its findings, the MCS investigator who issued a final investigative report included, "Evidence obtained during the course of this investigation clearly indicates Commissioner Baugh, a public servant, knowingly and intentionally attempted to obtain a benefit for herself and othersÉ" and that, "one might surmise," Baugh was attempting to curry political favor with the Governor, her constituents, and some on the "VIP" list.

The MCS investigative report also indicated that its findings would be forwarded to the State Commission on Ethics.

The settlement reached between Baugh and State Advocate Elizabeth A. Miller followed recently conducted depositions of key witnesses that also appeared as witnesses interviews in the MCS criminal investigation. Records show that former Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea and former Director of Public Safety Jacob Saur were deposed by Baugh’s counsel on October 10 and October 12, respectively.

During the ethics commission'sprobable cause hearing, Baugh's attorney argued that it was Coryea and Saur who bore much of the decision-making that his client was accused of. In addition, her attorney argued inaccurately that COVID-19 vaccination appointments were widely available at local drug stores and pharmacies. In reality, during the time of the controversial Lakewood Ranch Premier Sports vaccination pop-up’s operation, the public’s only access to COVID-19 vaccinations was through the county’s established random lottery registration and local government-organized vaccination sites.

On Monday, the Herald Tribune quoted Baugh as having said of the settlement entered in the case, "I'm glad it's over." Baugh also told the Herald Tribune she had learned lessons from the experience, but also reportedly told the paper, "...there was a lot more to it that was just false that I find sad that the people of Manatee had to experience."

The settlement will now go before the Commission on Ethics, which would have to approve it before it would be sent to the governor for a final sign-off.