Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints Dr. Joseph Ladapo as the next surgeon general of Florida on Sept. 21, 2021. On Wednesday, Ladapo announced that the state intends to eliminate all vaccine mandates. (Governor’s Office photo/TNS)
By Steven Walker | swalker@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel
UPDATED: September 3, 2025 at 2:04 PM EDT
Florida will work to end all vaccine mandates, state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday at a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said.
The announcement at a private Christian school in Hillsborough County was met with loud applause from the crowd.
Ladapo did not provide specifics but said Florida would be the first state in the nation to wipe out vaccine mandates.
Florida law requires students to be vaccinated against a variety of diseases — including chickenpox, measles, polio and tetanus — before enrolling in school. But compliance has dropped sharply in recent years with more parents using an easy-to-get religious exemption to avoid getting their children vaccinated. That drop has alarmed public health officials, who say vaccines have wiped out dangerous childhood diseases and saved lives.
Michael Muszynski, a pediatric infectious disease expert and professor emeritus at Florida State University’s College of Medicine, said he was “appalled” by the state’s decision and Ladapo’s comparison of vaccine mandates to slavery.
He called it “ridiculous” and said he wasn’t sure why state leaders would pursue such a policy. “What is wrong with these people? Why are they doing this? Don’t they like children?” he said.
Vaccines are safe and effective and eliminating requirements invites a host of diseases once thought to be eliminated to make a comeback, said Muszynski, who practiced at Orlando Health and Nemours Hospital for over 20 years. Measles outbreaks are likely, for example, if vaccine rates continue to fall as mandates go away, he added.
But DeSantis said his administration would push a “big medical freedom package” that would allow residents to decide what shots their children receive. He criticized pediatricians who require all mandated vaccines if parents want their child in the practice.
“You should not ever be discriminated against, regardless of your choices. It’s wrong for pediatricians to refuse to see a patient if the child’s parents don’t want them taking the hepatitis vaccine,” he said. “I think that’s wrong.”
The Florida Department of Health would eliminate state rules that require certain vaccines first and then work with DeSantis and the state legislature to “get rid of the rest of it,” Ladapo said.
The announcement comes as Florida saw a 20-year low in kindergarten vaccinations during the 2024-25 school year.
This year, just under 89% of Florida kindergarteners were fully immunized — the national average was 93% — down from about 94% two decades ago.
And that number could almost certainly plummet without vaccine mandates.
Ladapo’s has previously sown doubt about mRNA COVID vaccines, and he did not recommend the measles vaccine to families or require unvaccinated students to stay home amid the 2024 measles outbreak in Weston.
Whether to get a vaccine is a personal choice, he said.
“I hope you make an informed decision. And that’s how it should be … not this nonsense where people who don’t know you are telling you what to put in your temple, the temple of your body. It’s a gift from God,” Ladapo said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Originally Published: September 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM EDT
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