Scott breaks with DeSantis on Florida's vaccine rollback

Catch up quickly: The DeSantis administration announced on Wednesday its plans to make Florida the first state in the U.S. to end all vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren.

• But the announcement read more like a wishlist than a directive.
• Neither DeSantis nor the state surgeon general had spoken to state lawmakers about taking that step, and all but four of the vaccines required for students are written into state law.

What they're saying: "Florida already has a good system that allows families to opt out based on religious and personal beliefs, which balances our children's health and parents' rights," Scott told Axios' Marc Caputo.

Case in point: Parents can already 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.

• Florida logged 10,556 non-medical exemptions in the 2024–25 school year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The other side: The governor's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.