MANATEE COUNTY (WSNN) – After a four-month-long investigation on County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, the Manatee County Sheriff announced his findings today. Baugh will not be facing criminal charges for creating a vaccine VIP list.
The investigation on the County Commissioner, Vanessa Baugh, began when paralegal consultant, Michael Barfield, filed a complaint in February. He alleged Commissioner Baugh’s action to be in violation of three Florida State Statutes: Misuse of Public Position, Official Misconduct, and Misuse of Confidential Information.
When the Lakewood Ranch COVID vaccine clinics were scarce and in high demand in February, County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh created a VIP list with five names that included herself.
Investigators concluded that none of Baugh’s actions rose to the level of a crime.
Sheriff Rick Wells said in a statement: “From the point we received this complaint, our goal was to conduct a very thorough investigation. We spent countless hours on this, focusing not only on the statutes mentioned in the complaint but also examining whether other laws were possibly broken. Nothing criminal was found.”
While investigators found evidence that ‘clearly indicated’ Baugh knowingly and intentionally attempted to benefit herself and others, the report states there is no evidence she falsified official records or documents.
When SNN reached out to Baugh, she responded via email stating, “I am grateful for the hard work and diligent investigation executed by the MCSO which has confirmed what I have maintained all along – no criminal act occurred in getting vaccines to our most vulnerable and reluctant area. I look forward to putting this distraction behind me and refocusing this energy on reducing traffic, lowering taxes, and revising the alarming growth in the size and scope of our local government.”
Baugh’s actions first came into question when she admitted to choosing two wealthy zip codes for the pop-up vaccination site in Manatee County.
While Baugh won’t face criminal charges, her conduct may still result in a civil penalty from the Florida Commission on Ethics. The sheriff’s office forwarded its report to the Ethics Commission.
Overall, the sheriff’s office finds that while the investigation presents ethical issues, it does not warrant a criminal indictment.
You can find the full reporter below:
