Florida to eliminate all vaccine mandates for schoolchildren

By lauraharris // 2025-09-06

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Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced plans to eliminate all state-mandated vaccines for schoolchildren, including those for measles, polio and tetanus, citing personal freedom and religious beliefs.
Ladapo said he is working with Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers to remove vaccine mandates from Florida law entirely, calling them "wrong" and equating them with "slavery."
This move would repeal Florida's current requirement that K–12 students be immunized against several contagious diseases unless they have medical or religious exemptions.
At the same press conference, DeSantis unveiled Florida's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, modeled after a federal initiative led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Florida MAHA Commission will promote informed consent, parental rights, healthy food and alternative wellness strategies. It will be led by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, with Ladapo as a member.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has announced that he is working with Gov. Ron DeSantis to eliminate all state-mandated vaccines for children attending school, including immunizations against highly contagious and potentially deadly diseases such as measles, polio and tetanus. In a press conference on Sept. 3, Ladapo announced that the Florida Department of Health would no longer require children to be vaccinated to attend public or private schools. He said his office would next work with lawmakers and DeSantis to entirely eliminate vaccine mandates from Florida statutes. "The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law," he said during the press conference. "All of them. Every last one is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. This is about freedom. Who am I, as a government, or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don't have that right. Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your Body and your God." This, in turn, signals the end of Florida's previous requirement that students from kindergarten through 12th grade be immunized against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, chickenpox and Hepatitis B, unless a medical or religious exemption was filed. (Related: Austrian government drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate.) "We need to end it," he said. "It's the right thing to do, and it'll be wonderful for Florida to be the first state to do it."

DeSantis launches MAHA Commission and Medical Freedom Protections in Florida

The announcement coincided with a broader health policy initiative unveiled by DeSantis: the formation of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission and new "Medical Freedom Protections." That same conference, DeSantis introduced the commission as Florida's version of a similar initiative launched at the federal level by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, the federal MAHA Commission, established in February 2025 under the Trump administration, is tasked with investigating chronic childhood illnesses, including autism and providing recommendations for federal health policies. Florida's version of MAHA seeks to reinforce informed consent in medical decision-making, protect parental rights in healthcare and education, promote clean, nutritious and healthy food choices and expand public access to alternative wellness strategies. Though specific policies were not outlined in detail, DeSantis suggested the MAHA Commission would provide guidance and recommendations for legislation, education campaigns and public health initiatives. "I think that this is something that has great potential," DeSantis said. "We've already done a lot. I don't think there's any state that has done even close to what we've done." The Florida MAHA Commission will be chaired by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, with Ladapo serving as a key member. The governor said the commission will include a diverse panel of experts in health, medicine and nutrition. Learn more about the fight against COVID-19 vaccine mandates at HealthFreedom.news. Vaccine mandates everywhere are disappearing. Watch this episode of "The HighWire" as host Del Bigtree talks about how the state government of Florida has forced the 2022 Special Olympics U.S.A. to drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

This video is from the channel The HighWire with Del Bigtree on Brighteon.com.

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DeSantis launches MAHA Commission and Medical Freedom Protections in Florida

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