GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Not everyone is applauding the announcement that Florida may soon eliminate all vaccine mandates, including for children.
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement in Valrico on Wednesday with state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. In addition to his role with the state, Ladapo is employed by the University of Florida.
“People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Ladapo said. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.”
RELATED: Florida will work to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates in the state, officials say
TV20 asked UF Health for a comment on the newly proposed vaccine policy, and officials clarified that Ladapo’s comments were made in his capacity as state surgeon general, not as a UF employee.
UF Health provided the following statement:
“Public health and safety is a shared responsibility. The overwhelming consensus of the medical and public health communities show that vaccines are among the most studied and scrutinized medical interventions in history. They are proven to be safe, effective, and essential in preventing the spread of many serious infectious diseases. Following evidence-based practices regarding vaccines and other care decisions are best made in consultation with your health care professional.”
In Florida, vaccine mandates for child day care facilities and public schools include shots for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, polio and other diseases, according to the state Health Department’s website.
In addition to the changes to vaccine policy, DeSantis announced the creation of a state-level “Make America Health Again” initiative modeled after a similar effort pushed by President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“There are a lot of issues that we’ve got to deal with in medical. Medical freedom is something we’ve got to be very conscientious about protecting,” said DeSantis.
The vaccine mandate ban is expected to have the biggest impact on public school children. The Florida Education Association, a union representing teachers in the state, expressed skepticism about the changes to vaccine requirements.
“When leaders talk about pulling back vaccines, they’re talking about disrupting student learning and making schools less safe. State leaders say they care about reducing chronic absenteeism and keeping kids in school—but reducing vaccinations does the opposite, putting our children’s health and education at risk.”
The Florida Health Department, Ladapo said, can scrap its own rules for some vaccine mandates, but others would require action by the Florida Legislature. He did not specify any particular vaccines but repeated several times that the effort would end “all of them. Every last one of them.”
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