Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will file a lawsuit in response to President Biden's vaccine mandate that goes into effect Jan. 4.
Why it matters: Thursday's lawsuit is the Republican governor's latest attempt to undermine the Biden administration's vaccine requirements.
- DeSantis sued the Biden administration last month over an order to require federal contractors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus no later than Dec. 8.
Driving the news: The latest mandate will require employers with 100 or more workers to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated or tested weekly.
- The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will enforce the new rules, and employers face federal fines starting at nearly $14,000 for each violation.
- OSHA will largely rely on complaints to investigate violations, administration officials said.
The big picture: DeSantis said the lawsuit will be filed Friday with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
- The vaccine rules would impact nearly 9,000 employers in Florida and 4.5 million residents who are employed in the state, according to a statement from DeSantis.
- "The State of Florida will immediately challenge the OSHA rule in court because it’s inconsistent with the Constitution and not legally authorized through Congressional statutes," DeSantis said in a statement.