Christine Sexton

Lawmakers are considering the proposals as the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths have surged in Florida during the fall and winter.

“It was a pretty blatant attempt, I think, to reward political allies and block Medicaid expansion.”

. As of Tuesday, Florida reported 1,589,097 cases since the pandemic started.

Scott said that, while there were some “good things” in the proposal, it would result in bailouts for “wasteful, liberal states.”

“How you convey patience during a pandemic is a very difficult conversation to have. Frankly, it’s heartbreaking.”

DeSantis said Thursday the state started the investigation “as soon as we found out about it.”

“We now know nursing homes are murder factories. Half of the deaths are there because they are filthy,” Morgan said.

“We understand the Tuskegee experiment. We understand the medical community — how bad it has been back in the day. We get this.”

DeSantis also contended there has “never been a hitch in the giddy-up.”

A 2020 Census projection estimated about 3.17 million people in Florida were 70 or older.

DeSantis will announce a plan Tuesday for the second phase of vaccine distribution.

Florida received 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week.

“The first week we got Pfizer, the second week it appears we are only getting Moderna,” Moskowitz said.

“Today, we will have shots going into arms,” said DeSantis, who signed the FedEx delivery that brought about 20,000 doses to Tampa General Hospital.

DeSantis pointed to an article in the Wall Street Journal — it was an opinion piece written by neuroscientist Michael Segal.

Twice this week, DeSantis noted that the hospitals also will work to get vaccines to other nearby hospitals for their front-line workers.

Florida is closing in on 20,000 COVID-19 deaths and has logged more than 1.08 million cases of the virus since the onset of the pandemic.

“This was the first vaccine that’s really been politicized, unfortunately … and that’s going to be something that people are going to have to deal with.”

Florida, along with Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut and New Jersey, had more than 300 COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claims for every 100,000.

“If DeSantis thought pointing a gun in my face was a good way to get me to shut up, he’s about to learn just how wrong he was,” she wrote.