State-run vaccine sites are shutting down in June, but Miami-Dade may keep some open
All state-run vaccine sites will close in June as part of Florida’s plan to leave vaccine distribution to county health departments and local providers, including doctors’ offices, pharmacies and clinics.
Some state-run sites plan to provide vaccines through June 18. Vaccine locations at ports, such as PortMiami and Port Everglades, will offer doses until June 20. For other sites and vaccine pop-ups, the last day will be June 25.
There will still be more than 2,000 locations across the state offering COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The state’s homebound vaccination program will not be affected.
Additionally, each county will have the option to convert the state-run vaccine sites to county-run sites to keep them open, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. This is similar to what happened earlier this week with the four federally supported vaccination sites in the state.
The FEMA-supported vaccine site at Miami Dade College North campus, for example, that was expected to shut down earlier this week was taken over by Miami-Dade County and remains open.
State-run testing will also end after Friday, May 28. Testing will still be available at other locations — including select retail pharmacies, community health centers and urgent care centers.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie told the Miami Herald in an interview Thursday afternoon that the changes are part of the division’s transition from emergency to “non-emergency mode.” Under this move, the task of vaccine distribution will return to county health departments.
He said this is because the counties are no longer overwhelmed by long lines at vaccine sites and crashing online appointment schedulers. Cases are going down and people can get a vaccine as easily as they would a flu shot. And when a provider asks the state for more shots, the request is filled within 48 to 72 hours, according to the division.
So far, more than 10 million people in Florida have received at least one shot. About 38% of the state’s total population is fully vaccinated, CDC data shows.
Guthrie said the state will “continue to make sure anybody that wants a vaccine, gets the vaccine.”
The division, which handles the state’s disaster response, is also in the midst of preparing for hurricane season — which officially starts on June 1.
How will this affect South Florida?
The change will affect 11 state-run vaccine locations in Miami-Dade County and four state-run sites in Broward County. Those sites include Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park) in Little Havana and the site at Broward College’s North Campus in Coconut Creek, according to each county’s health department.
For the places listed above, the last day of vaccinations will be June 18. As for other state-run sites, such as locations at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Ronselli Park Youth Center in Sweetwater, and Vincent Torres Park in Lauderdale Lakes, the final day will be June 25.
Miami-Dade County told the Miami Herald on Thursday afternoon that it was still debating whether it would take over the operations of some state-run sites.
People will also still be able to get a shot at some of the health department-run sites in Broward County, including Coral Square Mall and Rev. Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park in Fort Lauderdale. Some of these sites, such as Snyder Park in Fort Lauderdale and Tree Tops Park in Davie, are also slated to close in June, according to the website.
The vaccine strategy in Florida, including in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, has also recently moved away from permanent vaccination sites to pop-ups in places where lots of people gather, including at beaches and sports games.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 8:33 PM.
