Florida to end all vaccine mandates, state officials say
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Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. Photo: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Florida will end all state vaccine mandates, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: Vaccines have prevented the deaths of tens of millions worldwide in the past 50 years — and Florida wants to become the first state in the U.S. to stop requiring them.
- The state already leads the southeast in non-medical vaccine exemptions among kindergartners, and the rollback could mean fewer school children are inoculated against deadly viruses like measles and polio.
Catch up quick: Ladapo, a well-known vaccine critic, announced his plans to end the practice via an administrative rule at a news conference in Hillsborough County, comparing vaccine mandates to "slavery."
Friction point: Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the state Department of Health can end vaccine mandates not written into state law, but any others will require action by the Legislature.
- He acknowledged neither he nor Ladapo has spoken with state lawmakers about pursuing those changes.
Between the lines: State statutes currently require school children to get immunized against seven illnesses: polio, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, mumps and tetanus.
- The statute allows the state Department of Health to add vaccines to the list, but not remove any.
- As of August, the state Department of Health required students to be vaccinated against four additional illnesses: chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B, and pneumococcal disease.
What they're saying: "Who am I to tell you what you should put in your body?" Ladapo said at Wednesday's press conference.
- "What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and God," he added. The government does not have that right."
The other side: "This is devastating news," Jill Roberts, associate professor at the University of South Florida's College of Public Health, told Axios.
- "You're going to leave kids susceptible to diseases that are deadly and have lifelong consequences," she said.
How it works: In Florida, a parent can obtain a religious exemption for their child by visiting the county's health department.
- No appointment is needed, and no questions are asked, per the state Department of Health.
- The state logged 10,556 non-medical exemptions in the 2024–25 school year, the second-highest total after Texas with 15,207, per the CDC.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details.