Republicans and Democrats from Florida request more COVID-19 vaccines for snowbirds
Members of Florida’s congressional delegation asked the federal government Thursday for more COVID-19 vaccines to account for the thousands of seasonal residents who move to the state during the winter months, saying that the influx of “snowbirds” is straining the initial allotment.
Seventeen of the state’s 27 House members, along with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Operation Warp Speed COO Gen. Gustave Perna asking to increase Florida’s vaccine allocation from the federal government. The letter was signed by 16 Republicans and two Democrats: Broward County Rep. Ted Deutch and Central Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Miami Republican Reps. Carlos Gimenez, Maria Elvira Salazar and Mario Diaz-Balart also signed the letter.
“In pursuit of an end to the pandemic and in the interest of the health of all individuals currently residing in Florida, the state of Florida has committed to vaccinate both residents and non-residents,” the lawmakers wrote. “Consequently, the vaccine is also currently available to all individuals over the age of 65 regardless of residency. This has understandably put a strain on the limited allotment. In order for an effective level of vaccinations to occur in a timely and equitable manner, federal allocation allotments to states must ensure they account for all populations residing in a state, not just those that are residents.”
The lawmakers wrote that more than 707,000 Floridians have been vaccinated as of Jan. 14, though about 4.3 million Florida residents are age 65 or older, a figure calculated by the Population Reference Bureau that does not include seasonal snowbirds who claim residency in other states or countries, such as Canada. They are asking for Operation Warp Speed, a federal government-led vaccination effort, to increase Florida’s vaccine allocation to account for the increase in non-residents eligible for vaccination.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he does not want to encourage medical tourism — people coming to Florida just to get the shot — but thinks part-time residents should be able to get the shot.
“We’re discouraging people to come to Florida just to get a vaccine,” he said at a news conference last week in Miami. “If they have a residence and they’re not just kind of flying by night for a week or two, I’m totally fine with that. [Snowbirds] are much different than someone just showing up and saying give me a shot and then they’re going to fly back somewhere; we’re obviously not going to do that.”
About 96,576 people have been vaccinated in Miami-Dade so far, which has a population of more than 2.7 million, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University. In Broward, which has a population of about 1.9 million, 71,194 people have been vaccinated.
Florida’s COVID-19 rollout, which is led by hospitals, has been marred with problems. Residents who attempt to use online portals to sign up have encountered frequent delays and long waits. Florida ranks 22nd in the country among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the percentage of total population that has received the first does of the vaccine. In Florida, 3.6% of all residents have gotten their first dose as of Jan. 14.
Miami Herald reporter Samantha J. Gross contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 4:35 PM.