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.
