Advertisement

Scott promises $25 million emergency spending to find Zika vaccine

 
Published Sept. 23, 2016

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott is using his emergency powers to direct $25 million to research a Zika virus vaccine, he said Thursday.

The Florida Department of Health will dole out the money through a competitive grant for speeding up the development of a Zika vaccine as well as "innovative, cost-effective" methods to test for the virus.

The governor's office and DOH would not release a schedule for the grant program, saying details are still being worked out and will be published in the coming days.

Scott's announcement Thursday is his latest critique of the federal government's handling of Zika. Earlier this month he traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge congressional action and routinely called out the federal government on cable news for failing to pass a Zika funding bill.

"Every minute that passes that Congress doesn't approve funding means more time is lost from researching this virus," Scott said in a statement. "For the sake of our state's future children, this is time we cannot afford to waste."

On Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that senators had reached "a good bipartisan agreement on Zika funding." However, no bill has yet passed the House and Senate.

The first cases of Zika spread by mosquitoes in the continental United States began this July in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood.

To date, there have been 874 Florida cases of the virus, which is linked to birth defects, according to the Florida Department of Health. While most of those cases are connected to travel abroad, 92 have been linked to local infections spreading, most notably in Miami Beach and Wynwood, though additional locally spread cases were found in Pinellas, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

In February, Scott declared a public health emergency to address the burgeoning threat Zika posed.

He has since set aside $61.2 million from the state's unspent general revenue this year to combat Zika using his emergency powers as governor.

In July, Scott expanded the emergency declaration to authorize $26.2 million in spending for mosquito control, testing pregnant women and preventing Zika's spread. Last week, he announced another $10 million for that cause.

Thursday's announcement is an unusual move for the governor. It constitutes the first emergency Zika money that would go toward a research grant program, which typically would be created by the Florida Legislature.

Still, says Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who is expected to be Senate budget chairman next year, this is what the governor should be doing.

"In emergencies, sometimes creative thinking is needed," he said. "To wait until May when we have a budget, who knows how many cases we'll have by then."

Contact Michael Auslen at mauslen@tampabay.com. Follow @MichaelAuslen.