Florida gets $245 million from FEMA to help vaccinate more people
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that Florida will receive $245 million to cover costs associated with transporting, storing and handling COVID-19 vaccines.
The new FEMA funds, announced on Monday, aim to help Florida vaccinate more people. As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 7.8% of Floridians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which ranks 18th among the 50 states, and that 59% of all vaccines distributed to the state have made it into someone’s arm, a figure that ranks 42nd among the 50 states.
“This funding will help the state distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to more Floridians,” said Gracia Szczech, regional administrator for FEMA Region IV. “We have been working closely with our state partners since the onset of the pandemic, and these dollars will assist with their ongoing efforts.”
The FEMA grants to Florida are part of a larger national effort that began last week, with FEMA announcing $1 billion to reimburse states like Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
“Good news: After months of urging the federal government to send additional resources to our state, I’m happy to share FEMA will provide Florida with $245M to fund vaccination efforts,” tweeted Central Florida Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy. “This funding will help us put an end to this deadly pandemic & save lives.”
The federal funds from FEMA are granted to the state and aren’t a separate program to distribute vaccines in a state where many people have complained about the difficulties of securing a vaccine appointment, including appointments that are announced online only and are snapped up within a matter of minutes. Gov. Ron DeSantis has expanded vaccine access to pharmacies at Publix supermarkets and pledged to prioritize vaccinating senior citizens.
DeSantis also dismissed President Joe Biden’s plan to set up federal vaccination sites run by FEMA and the National Guard as a “big mistake.”
“I saw some of this stuff Biden’s putting out, that he’s going to create these FEMA camps,” DeSantis said on Jan. 19. “I can tell you, that’s not necessary in Florida.”
Democrats have said that DeSantis won’t communicate with them on the rollout of vaccines, and that allowing Publix to become the primary place to get a vaccine hurts poor and minority communities that aren’t served by the supermarket chain.
“Getting a chicken with your vaccine may work for some people, but it doesn’t work for everyone,” said Palm Beach County Rep. Lois Frankel.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 1:14 PM.