Florida to stop all childhood vaccine mandates

In a partnership with Ron DeSantis and the Department of Health, the state of Florida will begin working to repeal all childhood vaccines.

Florida’s governor said on Wednesday, he’d ask the state legislature to repeal a statute that currently requires all children to receive mandatory vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, measles, and mumps before entering school. If it passes, Florida will be the first in the nation to eliminate all vaccine mandates for children and adults.

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo supported this sentiment and likened vaccines to “slavery” and promised that the state would work to eliminate all vaccine mandates.

“All of them. All of them, “Ladapo said during a news conference as the crowd erupted in applause. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He went on to say that forcing vaccine mandates is both “wrong” and “immoral”.

Currently, Florida requires a variety of vaccines for PreK-12 grades that include everything from DTaP to HepB for the 2,870,527 students in public schools across the state.

Dr. Robert Malone, who was recently appointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent vaccine committee, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he spoke to Ladapo on Tuesday and praised him for being a “measured scientist who is on fire to change the system for the better”.

In a statement, the Florida Education Association called out that this move will pose risks for students.

“When leaders talk about pulling back vaccines, they’re talking about disrupting student learning and making schools less safe. State leaders say they care about reducing chronic absenteeism and keeping kids in school—but reducing vaccinations does the opposite, putting our children’s health and education at risk.Florida leaders claim to care about students but silence experts and take actions that make schools less safe. They claim to care about educators but refuse to pay them fairly. They claim to care about communities but put profit ahead of people at every turn. So, the question is: Is this really about keeping students safe, or is this simply about playing politics?”

This is not the first time Ladapo has railed against vaccines in the state, advising those under 65 should not get the mRNA Covid vaccine. In addition, during a 2024 measles outbreak in the state, he provided guidance that parents should decide whether to send their children to school.

“You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision,” Ladapo said. “You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be.”

Others in the scientific committee are horrified, especially as top leadership of the CDC resigned in the wake of Robert H. Kennedy’s seeming takeover of the institution. “The idea that children would be allowed to go to school unvaccinated is absolutely frightening,” said Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), Gov. Greg DeSantis praised Lapado’s moves as the national model for “medical freedom” and the establishment of the Make America Healthy Again Commission that will make recommendations based on MAHA principles and prioritizing parental choice.

“Florida has become the national model for medical freedom. Today we established the Florida Make America Healthy Again Commission to recommend state-level integrations of MAHA principles and expanded protections for parental choice regarding childhood vaccines. Chaired by First Lady @CaseyDeSantis and Lt. Governor @JayCollinsFL, the MAHA Commission also includes  “@FLSurgeonGen, state agency heads in health and human services, and experts in the fields of nutrition, vaccine safety, and family practice. We have worked to empower Floridians to make the best decisions for their families’ health, and the Florida MAHA Commission will continue advancing this mission.

According to the Florida Department of Health, Florida currently requires the following vaccinations for childcare and school-based children:

Childcare and/or Family Daycare

• Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP)
• Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
• Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
• Hepatitis B (Hep B)

Preschool Entry

• DTaP
• IPV
• MMR
• Varicella
• Hib
• Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
• Hepatitis B (Hep B)

Kindergarten through 12th Grade

• Four or five doses of DTaP
• Four or five doses of IPV
• Two doses of MMR
• Three doses of Hep B
• One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap)
• Two doses of Varicella (kindergarten effective with 2008–2009 school year, then an additional grade is added each year thereafter). Varicella vaccine is not required if there is a history of varicella disease documented by the health care provider.

Additional Requirements: 7th Grade

In addition to compliance with all other immunization requirements, children entering, attending, or transferring to the 7th grade in Florida schools must complete the following:

• One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap)

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