🗞️ Florida Moves to Eliminate All Vaccine Mandates, Surgeon General Announces

In a sweeping and controversial move, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday that the state will work to eliminate all vaccine mandates—“every last one of them,” he declared during a press conference alongside Governor Ron DeSantis.

Speaking to a cheering crowd at Grace Christian School in Valrico, Ladapo described current vaccine requirements as “immoral” and likened them to “slavery,” arguing that government has no right to dictate what individuals or their children must put into their bodies3. “Your body is a gift from God,” he said. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right”2.

🧬 What’s Changing?

Florida currently mandates vaccines for schoolchildren against diseases such as:

• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

• Polio

• Hepatitis B

• Chickenpox

• DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis)

While some mandates can be repealed through executive action, others will require legislative changes. Governor DeSantis announced plans to introduce a “medical freedom package” in the next legislative session to codify the rollback.

🏛️ New Health Commission

The announcement also included the launch of a state-level “Make America Healthy Again” commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and First Lady Casey DeSantis. The commission will focus on parental rights, informed consent, and challenging what officials call “medical orthodoxy”4.

⚖️ National Implications

If fully implemented, Florida would become the first state in the U.S. to eliminate all vaccine mandates. The move aligns with broader federal shifts under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has advocated for reduced vaccine requirements and increased parental control.

Public health experts have raised concerns about the potential impact on immunization rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases. According to the World Health Organization, vaccines have saved over 150 million lives globally in the past 50 years.

This story is developing. You can follow updates on ABC News, MSN Health, or WPTV News.