From NBC News: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said Wednesday that the state will work to eliminate all vaccine mandates.
“All of them. All of them,” he said during a news conference as the crowd stood and erupted in applause. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He said the Florida Department of Health will work in partnership with the governor.
He said forcing vaccine mandates is “wrong” and “immoral.”
“Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body? Lapado said. “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. I don’t have that right. Government does not have that right. They want you to believe they have that right, and unfortunately, they’ve been successful,” Lapado said, as the room erupted in cheers.
Florida is not banning vaccines, but Lapado said everyone should have the right to choose for themselves.
“You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision, You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be,” he said at the press conference on Wednesday.
The Florida Health Department website currently provides a list of vaccines required for children entering school. The list includes vaccine requirements for measles, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis, and more.
Liberals are already voicing their outrage. Florida state senator Shevrin “Shev” Jones fumed, “The decision by the @FLSurgeonGen to eliminate all vaccine mandates in Florida is a reckless and irresponsible action that undermines public health standards. Leadership in this role should be grounded in science and the protection of Floridians, not political calculation.”
The decision by the @FLSurgeonGen to eliminate all vaccine mandates in Florida is a reckless and irresponsible action that undermines public health standards. Leadership in this role should be grounded in science and the protection of Floridians, not political calculation. https://t.co/1ztjB0mXwi
— Shevrin “Shev” Jones (@ShevrinJones) September 3, 2025
Also at the press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the establishment of the Florida Make America Healthy Again commission. DeSantis wrote on X:
Florida has become the national model for medical freedom. Today we established the Florida Make America Healthy Again Commission to recommend state-level integrations of MAHA principles and expanded protections for parental choice regarding childhood vaccines.
Chaired by First Lady @CaseyDeSantis and Lt. Governor @JayCollinsFL, the MAHA Commission also includes @FLSurgeonGen, state agency heads in health and human services, and experts in the fields of nutrition, vaccine safety, and family practice. We have worked to empower Floridians to make the best decisions for their families’ health, and the Florida MAHA Commission will continue advancing this mission.
Florida has become the national model for medical freedom. Today we established the Florida Make America Healthy Again Commission to recommend state-level integrations of MAHA principles and expanded protections for parental choice regarding childhood vaccines.
Chaired by First… pic.twitter.com/9daT0SuYM8
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 3, 2025
READ MORE from NBC News.
Below is the full news conference Wednesday morning:
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