Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo announced Wednesday that the state plans to end all vaccine mandates, including those for children attending schools, making it the first state in the nation to completely withdraw from such requirements.
Ladapo described every vaccine mandate as “dripping with disdain and slavery.” Gov. Ron DeSantis, who endorsed the move, said his administration can unilaterally end some mandates, while others would require legislative approval.
“There are a handful, maybe a half a dozen vaccines that are mandated. So those are going to be gone for sure,” Ladapo said. “We need to end it. It’s the right thing to do.”
Ladapo has frequently opposed mainstream public health guidance. Last year, he called for halting mRNA coronavirus vaccines over concerns that they could contaminate a person’s DNA and became the first statewide health official to urge communities to stop fluoridating drinking water.
