VALRICO, Fla. – Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday that he would begin work to end all of the state’s vaccine mandates.
“Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God. I don’t have that right,” Ladapo said. “(...) So, here’s what we can do in the Florida Department of Health. We actually have the ability to start that process with what government folks call ‘rules.’ So the Florida Department of Health, we have some rules that we promulgated — not me, predecessors — that include a handful, maybe a half a dozen vaccines that are mandated in Florida. So those are going to be gone, for sure.”
Ladapo joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at Grace Christian School in Valrico, where he spoke along with Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas.
“Today’s proposed changes strengthen the rights that the governor has championed for years, and these changes reject the one-size-fits-all mandates that strips parents of choice by removing vaccines from the required immunizations necessary to attend school and expanding exemptions to include moral and ethical convictions,” Kamoutsas said. “We are ensuring that every parent’s voice is heard and honored here in this state. This is the Florida model.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
What it says in Florida law
CHILDREN
According to the Florida Statute 1003.22:
The Department of Health may adopt rules necessary to administer and enforce this section. The Department of Health, after consultation with the Department of Education, shall adopt rules governing the immunization of children against, the testing for, and the control of preventable communicable diseases. The rules must include procedures for exempting a child from immunization requirements. Immunizations shall be required for poliomyelitis, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus, and other communicable diseases as determined by rules of the Department of Health. The manner and frequency of administration of the immunization or testing shall conform to recognized standards of medical practice. The Department of Health shall supervise and secure the enforcement of the required immunization. Immunizations required by this section shall be available at no cost from the county health departments.
Since these illnesses are mentioned in law, it’s believed the Florida Legislature would have to pass legislation to end the mandates. Other vaccines, however, were mandated by the Florida Department of Health via the rule process, and they can be removed the same way.
Those include:
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
- Hepatitis B (Hep B)
The statute also allows for exemptions:
The provisions of this section shall not apply if:
(a) The parent of the child objects in writing that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with his or her religious tenets or practices;
(b) A physician licensed under the provisions of chapter 458 or chapter 459 certifies in writing, on a form approved and provided by the Department of Health, that the child should be permanently exempt from the required immunization for medical reasons stated in writing, based upon valid clinical reasoning or evidence, demonstrating the need for the permanent exemption;
(c) A physician licensed under the provisions of chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 460 certifies in writing, on a form approved and provided by the Department of Health, that the child has received as many immunizations as are medically indicated at the time and is in the process of completing necessary immunizations;
(d) The Department of Health determines that, according to recognized standards of medical practice, any required immunization is unnecessary or hazardous;
Florida Statute 381.003, meanwhile, requires the Florida Department of Health to ensure that all children are immunized:
Programs for the prevention and control of vaccine-preventable diseases, including programs to immunize school children as required by s.1003.22(3)-(11) and the development of an automated, electronic, and centralized database and registry of immunizations. The department shall ensure that all children in this state are immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. The immunization registry must allow the department to enhance current immunization activities for the purpose of improving the immunization of all children in this state.
Last modified Aug. 11, the following school immunization requirements were listed on FDOH’s website:
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)
View Immunization Guidelines Document View Immunization Guidelines Document
FDOH - School Immunization Requirements (accessed 9/3/2025)
Additionally, there’s a Florida Statute, 1006.69, that is specifically for meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B for college students who are staying in on-campus housing.
An individual enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution who will be residing in on-campus housing shall provide documentation of vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B unless the individual, if the individual is 18 years of age or older, or the individual’s parent, if the individual is a minor, declines the vaccinations by signing a separate waiver for each of these vaccines, provided by the institution, acknowledging receipt and review of the information provided.
ADULTS
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no state laws in Florida requiring any kind of vaccine for health care workers. Hospital inpatients in Florida may, in some cases, be offered influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, the CDC’s website states.
Florida Statute 112.181 says that immunizations may be required for emergency rescue or public safety workers by their employers:
(3) IMMUNIZATION.—Whenever any standard, medically recognized vaccine or other form of immunization or prophylaxis exists for the prevention of a communicable disease for which a presumption is granted under this section, if medically indicated in the given circumstances pursuant to immunization policies established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Public Health Service, an emergency rescue or public safety worker may be required by his or her employer to undergo the immunization or prophylaxis unless the worker’s physician determines in writing that the immunization or other prophylaxis would pose a significant risk to the worker’s health. Absent such written declaration, failure or refusal by an emergency rescue or public safety worker to undergo such immunization or prophylaxis disqualifies the worker from the benefits of the presumption.
Then there’s Florida Statute 400.141, “Administration and management of nursing home facilities:”
Assess each resident within 5 business days after admission for eligibility for pneumococcal vaccination or revaccination. If indicated, the resident shall be vaccinated or revaccinated within 60 days after admission in accordance with the recommendations of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, subject to exemptions for medical contraindications and religious or personal beliefs. Immunization may not be provided to a resident who provides documentation that he or she has been immunized as required by this paragraph. A resident may elect to receive the immunization from his or her personal physician and, if such election is made, the resident shall provide proof of the immunization to the facility. The agency may adopt and enforce any rules necessary to comply with or implement this paragraph.
The FDOH website’s page on vaccine-preventable diseases currently states that “(although) vaccinated individuals can still become infected with diseases like pertussis or varicella, in general, those who have received at least 1 dose of vaccine have less severe outcomes than those who have never been vaccinated for the disease,” referencing data from April 2025.
Unvaccinated children are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, pertussis, and varicella. Communities with a higher proportion of religious exemptions (REs) to vaccination are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease transmission.
The proportion of children age 5-17 years with new REs are increasing each month. Statewide, the estimated prevalence of REs among children age 5-17 years old is 6.39% with individual counties ranging from 1.52-15.03%.
To learn more about REs at the local level, please visit FloridaHealth.gov/REmap.
FDOH - Vaccine Preventable Diseases April 2025 (accessed 9/3/2025)
DeSantis otherwise announced the establishment of a Florida “MAHA” commission — aka “Make America Healthy Again” — to implement Trump-administration health directives at the state level. This commission would be chaired by Casey DeSantis and Collins, the governor said.
“The commission will have several main objectives including — and Joe Ladapo does a good job on this — promoting clean, safe and nutritious food, industry, improving transparency and accountability in health care, working on the causes of chronic diseases to identify and prevent future occurrences and, maybe more importantly, restoring trust in the medical profession and in public health,” DeSantis said. “The Florida MAHA Commission will prioritize reforms that empower Floridians, reduce regulatory burdens, and hold actors accountable for their conduct while fostering incentives for healthy living and innovation, and I think that this is something that has great potential.”
On the forthcoming ban of all vaccine mandates in Florida, DeSantis suggested it would come in large part as “a big medical-freedom package” from the state legislature.
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called the state’s plan “a public health disaster in the making.”
Governor DeSantis and Surgeon General Ladapo’s reckless decision to end vaccine mandates is not leadership — it’s a public health disaster in the making. Ending vaccine requirements will drive down immunization rates, trigger outbreaks of preventable diseases, and put children, seniors, and vulnerable Floridians at risk. Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to protect lives. To toss aside decades of proven science for political gain is dangerous, short-sighted, and will cost lives. Florida families deserve leaders who put public health and safety first, not ideology.
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando "Representative Dr. Anna V. Eskamani Statement on DeSantis Administration Announcement to End Vaccine Mandates"
When asked about the recent decision by former Florida Rep. Paul Renner to run for governor, DeSantis said that he would not support Renner and called his campaign “ill-advised.”
Watch the news conference again in the video player below or by clicking here.