Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, stood next to the governor and said the state would move to end every vaccine mandate it can — starting with school requirements for diseases like measles and polio — casting mandates as an assault on “bodily autonomy.”
But removing vaccine mandates would require the Florida legislature to change current statutes, and that’s not something the legislature is ready or willing to do, three representatives told me today.
“Hard pass,” a Republican state house member told me over text messages.
“Even the White House isn’t on board with this for now,” said another.
And today, Senator Rick Scott openly opposed the push to remove mandates.
"Florida already has a good system that allows families to opt out based on religious and personal beliefs, which balances our children's health and parents' rights," Scott told Axios.
That immediate pushback has already resulted in vague threats from Ladapo.
"People are going to have to choose a side,” Ladapo said.
Florida …
