Dr. Anthony Fauci draws large crowd of supporters and protestors in Sarasota

Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks in Sarasota

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Some celebrate Dr. Anthony Fauci; others question him. None dispute that he played a significant role in the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, Fauci drew large crowds to Sarasota, some to hear him speak as part of the Ringling College Town Hall Lecture Series and others to protest him.

FOX 13 was not allowed to hear Fauci speak inside the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Still, the Ringling College Library Association said they felt the community deserved the chance to listen to him talk about the lessons he’s learned and his experiences.

The backstory:

"I’m looking forward to hearing his story and his background. I’ve read about him. I do think he did a good job," said Barbara of Sarasota.

Audience members drove through protestors while parking at the arts center.

"Nothing in this world is perfect. Certainly, vaccines are not perfect; a vaccine that was put together in record time will have problems. We think it has a lot of problems, and we want people to know that," a protestor said.

It’s not just the controversy over the vaccine. People also spoke out against Fauci’s role in mask-wearing mandates and the shutdown of schools and businesses during the pandemic. The group V for Vaccine, based out of California, held a rally outside the Van Wezel.

"When Fauci was coming to Florida, we got contacted, and a lot of people said we don’t want him to come here and just be able to come in and just be able to understand that there is another side," said co-founder Joshua Coleman.

Dig deeper:

Barbara wanted to hear Fauci’s story and learn more.

"Based on what I know about Fauci, he did the best he could under the circumstances. There was a lot of information flying around. I do believe he is a good person. He’s got a solid background. It started way back when he admitted that he made a mistake during the AIDS pandemic or crisis," she said.

Barbara from Sarasota speaking to FOX 13.

Agree or disagree with Fauci; he spoke to a sold-out audience. One thing both sides brought up.

"My hope is that we become united again, people are more kind and friendly, and that we look for facts supported by solid science and data, which seems to be questionable these days. I do my best to get facts," said Barbara.

"We all need a voice. We all need to hear, listen and communicate and there shouldn’t be this hatred that sort of goes hand in hand with these sort of things," Joshua added.

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The Ringling College Library Association Town Hall told FOX 13 in a statement:

What they're saying:

"Since 1981, the Ringling College Library Association has gathered the community to hear from figures of national interest in entertainment, the arts, healthcare, science, athletics and more. Town Hall provides an invaluable opportunity to hear from world-class leaders right here in Sarasota.

Past speakers include U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton; ambassador Caroline Kennedy; travel personality Rick Steves; Olympian Michael Phelps; historian Jon Meacham and NFL player Rob Gronkowski.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has worked under seven Democrat and Republican U.S. presidents. He worked at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, which ranks as one of the deadliest pandemics in the nation’s history. We feel the people of this community deserve to hear directly from Dr. Fauci about his experiences and his lessons learned.

Tickets for this event sold out soon after the launch of sales, which shows there is high demand in this community to discuss these issues.

We celebrate the freedom of expression protected in our nation and here in Sarasota, and we feel the variety of perspectives on public health shows the importance of events such as Town Hall so the community can gather information, debate, discuss and come to independent conclusions on important issues."

The Source: FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon collected the information in this story.

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