Florida Becomes First State to Move Toward Ending All Vaccine Mandates

Florida officials signaled a historic shift in health policy this week. Standing alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo declared that the state would work to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including those requiring children to be vaccinated to attend school.

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“This is the right thing to do,” Ladapo said at a news conference near Tampa. “Every vaccine mandate is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He argued that individuals, not government agencies, should decide what goes into their bodies.

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Currently, Florida law requires students to be immunized against diseases like polio, measles, mumps, tetanus, rubella, diphtheria, and pertussis, with medical and religious exemptions already in place. The state’s Department of Health also mandates vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib, and pneumococcal disease, rules that could be undone more quickly. Repealing the broader school requirements, however, would require action from the legislature.

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DeSantis endorsed the move, although he acknowledged lawmakers would need to pass changes for the plan to be fully implemented. The announcement comes amid national upheaval in vaccine policy, driven in part by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic now leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has called for rolling back vaccine requirements and is scheduled to testify before Congress about turmoil within the CDC.

Public health experts immediately sounded alarms. James Colgrove, a Columbia University professor who studies the history of vaccines, warned that removing mandates is unprecedented. “It’s probably going to be catastrophic,” he said, noting that school vaccine laws have existed since the 1850s and are credited with protecting generations of children.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics also issued a statement through its president, Dr. Susan Kressly, stressing that universal vaccination in schools helps prevent outbreaks and keeps communities safe. Florida’s Parent Teacher Association echoed that concern, warning of serious risks in a state where tourism brings millions of visitors each year.

Polls suggest most Americans support vaccine requirements for schoolchildren, with a January KFF survey showing more than 80 percent in favor, including a majority of Republicans. Still, Florida Democrats expressed fears that GOP lawmakers would side with Ladapo and DeSantis. “I’ve seen them do some things in the last couple years that make me question that,” said state senator Lori Berman.

Ladapo has long drawn criticism from public health leaders. He previously opposed mRNA coronavirus vaccines, citing discredited theories, and became the first statewide health official to advise against fluoride in drinking water. His remarks this week once again spotlight the growing ideological divide over public health, a debate that is likely to intensify as Florida moves toward dismantling vaccine protections that have stood for more than a century.

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