The Florida Keys enclave, home to political donors, received the COVID-19 vaccine as the rest of the state struggled

Almost all of the elderly residents of an upscale Florida Keys community were vaccinated against COVID-19 in mid-January, as the rest of the state struggled to get vaccines, the Miami Herald reports.

A community newsletter obtained by the Herald showed that the majority of people aged 65 and over living in the Ocean Reef Club community had been vaccinated by the start of the new year.

The exclusive Key Largo community is home to many political donors, including members of the Florida Republican Party who have donated money to the government. Ron DeSantisThe Ron DeSantis Florida Keys enclave, home to political donors, received the COVID-19 vaccine as the rest of the state battled Florida CVS pharmacies to vaccinate teachers under 50 despite limitations to state age. Tanden’s nomination falls MORE, notes the Herald.

In the newsletter, private community leadership wrote that over a two-week period, more than 1,200 homeowners who qualified under the state’s order were vaccinated.

The bulletin also recognizes the gap between vaccine access for residents of the Ocean Reef Club community and that of others aged 65 and older in the state.

“We are fortunate to have received enough vaccines to provide both the first and second to those vaccinated,” the bulletin said, according to the Herald.

“At this time, however, the majority of the state has not received an allocation of first doses of vaccine for this week and beyond, and the timing of subsequent deliveries remains uncertain.”

DeSantis has come under scrutiny over its vaccine distribution plan in recent months. He was accused of giving some communities better access to the vaccine by allowing them to go through community organizations, including the Ocean Reef Medical Center, instead of going through local or state registration systems, according to the Herald.

The governor of Sunshine State has previously reportedly denied giving special treatment to particular communities.

“There are people who are angrier with me for vaccinating the elderly than at other governors whose policies have killed the elderly, and that’s a joke,” DeSantis said, according to the Herald.

He also defended his state’s lack of a clear vaccine deployment plan.

“If you notice, many of these [states] have adopted plans, and they already had to change plans, ”DeSantis said last week. We did not do it. “

The DeSantis office and the Ocean Reef Club did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.