Florida is moving to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including requirements for schoolchildren, state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday.
The state will immediately end non-statutory mandates, while lawmakers consider legislation to remove remaining requirements.
Governor Ron DeSantis backed the move, saying it will expand freedom and limit government overreach. Florida would become the first state to end school vaccine mandates, a practice upheld for decades nationwide to protect children against diseases such as measles, polio, and tetanus.
JUST IN: Surgeon General of Florida Joseph Ladapo announces the end of EVERY vaccine mandate in the state... not just COVID mRNA shots! pic.twitter.com/x7XY2ZTcRY
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 3, 2025
Ladapo denounced vaccine mandates as “wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” According to CDC data, nearly 5% of Florida kindergartners claimed exemptions last year, higher than the national average. Most were for personal or religious reasons.
The decision sets up a high-stakes debate over public health, parental choice, and state authority.
Florida will eliminate ‘immoral’ childhood vaccine mandates: ‘People have a right to make their own decisions’ https://t.co/vcZabYFZuI pic.twitter.com/3q7pbXOpnS
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2025
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