(WDNews) — Florida leaders announced plans Wednesday to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates, a first in the nation move that state officials say is meant to strengthen parental rights but one that public health experts warn could increase risks of disease outbreaks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health will begin rolling back vaccine requirements. Some mandates can be removed through administrative action, while others will need approval from the state Legislature.
Ladapo called vaccine mandates an “immoral” intrusion on families and compared them to “slavery,” saying every requirement should be eliminated. DeSantis also unveiled a new state commission, “Make America Healthy Again,” designed to expand policies centered on medical freedom and bodily autonomy.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from health officials. The American Academy of Pediatrics stressed that vaccines remain critical to keeping schools safe and preventing outbreaks. The American Medical Association also warned the repeal would undermine decades of public health progress.
Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat, called the decision reckless, saying it threatens vulnerable populations and could harm the state’s economy and tourism industry.
Meanwhile, governors in California, Oregon, and Washington announced the creation of a West Coast Health Alliance to maintain evidence-based immunization policies. The move underscores a widening divide between states as national vaccine policy shifts under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Florida has not announced a timeline for when vaccine mandates could be fully eliminated.
