BRADENTON – On Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission voted 4-3 not to strip Commissioner Vanessa Baugh of her chair position, despite having been caught using her position for personal gain by adding herself to what was supposed to be a random draw for COVID vaccinations. Baugh also drew criticism for directing staff to draw the names only from two zip codes in her district when asked to help facilitate a "pop-up" vaccine site put on by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Following extensive public comment demanding Baugh's resignation, commissioners Carol Whitmore, Misty Servia, and Reggie Bellamy voted in favor of having Baugh removed from the role of chair. Commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge and George Kruse voted against the motion with Baugh herself casting the deciding vote.

The scandal made national news across the U.S. Baugh attempted to offer an apology during a workshop last Thursday, though she said she would do the same thing if given the opportunity and mostly apologized for the embarrassment it caused DeSantis, which she blamed on other commissioners "politicizing" the issue.

Baugh noted that she ultimately did not go through with her own vaccination, which became public before the event in question. Baugh was unopposed in the 2020 election, which means voters will have to wait until 2024 should they wish to hold her accountable at the ballot box.

A Disgrace of Epic Proportions