THE GATSBY NOT BEHIND YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> WE TURN TO MIAMI MAYOR
FRANCIS SUAREZ, A REPUBLICAN.
HE HAD COVID.
FLORIDA JUST PASSED MORE THAN 2
MILLION KNOWN CASES.
MAYOR, TO BE CLEAR FOR FOLKS NOT
FAMILIAR WITH THE GEOGRAPHY OF
THAT PART OF THE STATE, SPRING
BREAK ISSUES THAT WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT, THAT IS HAPPENING
IN NEIGHBORING MIAMI BEACH.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT KIND
OF TROUBLE YOU HAVE BEEN SEEING
IN YOUR CITY.
HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU IT COULD
UPSET ANY PROGRESS THAT MIAMI
HAS BEEN MAKING WITH THIS
PANDEMIC?
>> WE ARE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED.
WE ARE OBVIOUSLY PREPARING FOR
THE POSSIBILITY THERE MAY BE
SWILLOVERING OVER WITH THE EARLY
KERR FEWS AND S
KERR FEW --CURFEWS.
WE DID NOT SEE ANY OF THOSE
AFFECTS IN SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE CITY WE WOULD NORMALLY SEE
THE CITY WE WOULD NORMALLY SEE
AN UPTICK.
ITS UNPRECEDENTED.
AS WAS SAID IN THE PRIOR
SEGMENT, IN ABOUT A ONE SQUARE
MILE AREA OF THE BEACH WHERE YOU
HAVE, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM
IMAGES, A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH
VOLUME OF PEOPLE, MUCH MORE THAN
WHAT IS A REASONABLE AND
CONTROLLABLE AMOUNT.
THATS CAUSING UNFORTUNATELY
VERY, VERY DISTURBING INCIDENTS
IN THE BEACH.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE
RECENTLY, A FEW MOMENTS AGO, WE
HEARD DURING THE COVID BRIEFING
THAT THE DAILY AVERAGE
NATIONALLY, ITS NOW UP
SLIGHTLY.
THERE ARE GROWING CONCERNS THAT
THE PROGRESS WE HAVE BEEN
MAKING, THAT PROGRESS IS GOING
TO BE STUNTED BY SOME OF THE
IMAGES THAT WE HAVE SEEN COME
OUT OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
THE MAYOR OF MIAMI BEACH
PARTIALLY BLAMES FLORIDAS LAX
PROTOCOLS FOR ENTICING THE
TOURISTS TO YOUR AREA, MAYOR
SUAREZ.
DO YOU SHARE THAT SENTIMENT?
>> THERES NO DOUBT THAT MIAMI
AND THE MIAMI AREA AND THE STATE
ARE PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST
OPEN STATES IN THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY.
THATS CREATED A PERFECT STORM
WHERE YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT CAN
COME TO MIAMI.
ITS VERY INEXPENSIVE.
SOME OF THE FLIGHTS ARE $50.
THE HOTELS ARE VERY INEXPENSIVE.
ITS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT MIX
OF INEXPENSIVE FLIGHTS,
INEXPENSIVE HOTELS AND BEING
KNOWN AS PROBABLY THE MOST OPEN
PLACE IN THE COUNTRY.
THAT MADE IT MORE CHALLENGING.
>> LETS TALK ABOUT THE ROLLOUT
THERE.
VACCINE ELIGIBILITY RIGHT NOW,
AS I UNDERSTAND IT THERE IN
FLORIDA, OPENS UP TO ANYONE 50
AND OLDER TODAY.
ZEROING IN ON VACCINES, THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS AN
ANALYSIS IT CONDUCTED FOUND THAT
A RAPID COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT
BACKFIRED IN SOME U.S. STATES.
STATES LIKE SOUTH CAROLINA ANDRA
OFFER THE VACCINE TO LARGER
GROUPS OF PEOPLE HAVE VACCINATED
SMALLER SHARES OF THEIR
POPULATION THAN THOSE THAT MOVED
MORE SLOWLY AND METHODICALLY,
LIKE HAWAII AND CONNECTICUT.
BOILS DOWNSS EXPANDING
ELIGIBILITY TOO QUICKLY AND NOT
MEETING DEMAND.
MIAMI-DADE WAS THE EPICENTER AT
ONE POINT, HOW WOULD YOU
EVALUATE THE ROLLOUT AND THE
SUPPORT THAT YOU HAVE GOTTEN
THERE SO FAR?
>> WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE
NEED TO TAKE THE VACCINE.
WE HAD EARLY ISSUES WITH NOT
ENOUGH PEOPLE IN THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY BEING
VACCINATED.
WE OPENED UP A VACCINATION SITE,
A WALK-UP SITE, IN THE HEART OF
ONE OF OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN
TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
THATS PART OF IT.
THE OTHER PART IS THERE HASNT
BEEN AS MUCH DEMAND IN CERTAIN
SECTORS AS WE THOUGHT THERE
WOULD BE.
WE WORKED WITH THE STATE.
WE WORKED WITH THE WHITE HOUSE.
I WAS IN THE WHITE HOUSE A FEW
WEEKS AGO AND ASKED THE
PRESIDENT DIRECTLY FOR MORE
VACCINE.
HE OPENED UP A FEDERAL
VACCINATION SITE THE FOLLOWING
TUESDAY AFTER I ASKED FOR IT ON
FRIDAY.
TO THE WHITE HOUSES CREDIT,
THEY WERE RESPONSIVE.
THE STATE HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE.
WE ARE TRYING TO DO THE BEST WE
CAN UNDERSTANDING THIS IS A ONCE
IN A LIFETIME, GENERATIONAL
SITUATION.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET --
WE DONT WASTE TIME IN ALLOWING
PEOPLE TO GET LIFE SAVING
VACCINES THAT COULD PREVENT THEM
FROM NOT ONLY -- THEMSELVES OF
HAVING A LIFE-THREATENING
ILLNESS, BUT THEIR FAMILY
MEMBERS AND FRIENDS.