Florida’s surgeon general announced Wednesday that the state is working to end all vaccine mandates for schoolchildren under Florida law, saying the Florida Department of Health is coordinating with the governor’s office to eliminate the requirements.
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, speaking at a joint news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the state will move to end "every last one" of the mandates. "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," Ladapo said. "Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God."
DeSantis said informed consent should be central to health decisions. "Information given to individuals, where they can then make an informed decision, should be the bedrock of how we function in health and in medicine," he said. Officials did not provide a detailed timeline or a step-by-step description of how existing mandates would be rescinded.
According to the Florida Department of Health, eight vaccinations are currently required for children attending childcare, preschool and K–12 schools in the state. The department and the governor's office said they were taking steps to remove those requirements under state law.
The announcement comes amid shifts in vaccine policy at both state and federal levels since the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal regulators in recent months have narrowed recommendations for some new COVID-19 boosters to select high-risk groups, underscoring evolving guidance on vaccine use.
State officials did not outline how exemptions, enforcement or the record-keeping processes for required immunizations would be handled if mandates are rescinded. They also did not specify whether the change would affect recommendations from medical providers or the role of local school districts in promoting vaccinations.
Public-health experts and education officials have variously emphasized the role of required immunizations in preventing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in school settings, while some parents and advocacy groups have pushed for fewer mandates and greater parental choice. The Florida Department of Health and the governor's office said further details on policy changes would be announced by state officials as they finalize the approach.
State officials said parents would continue to receive information to help them make individual health decisions for their children, and they reiterated that the changes are intended to emphasize voluntary, informed decision-making about vaccinations. Further guidance and any regulatory changes are expected to be released by the Florida Department of Health in the coming weeks.