Florida Moves to End All Vaccine Mandates

Florida announced Wednesday that it will move to end all vaccine mandates, a decision that state leaders said would remove requirements for immunizations across public institutions including schools. Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo made the announcement at a news conference with Governor Ron DeSantis, saying the Florida Department of Health and the governor’s office would work to eliminate every vaccine mandate in the state. Ladapo likened mandates to slavery and told the audience, "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," adding, "Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body?"

Ladapo did not provide a timetable for rolling back existing requirements and DeSantis acknowledged that some changes would require action by the state legislature. The announcement was paired with the governor’s plan to establish a state-level Make America Healthy Again commission led by Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis, and the lieutenant governor, with Ladapo and other health officials expected to serve on the panel, DeSantis said.

If carried out, the policy shift could allow more unvaccinated children and adults to attend schools and work in state...